Facts about orangutans

Orangutans are daytime animals. They rise at dawn and search for food for a couple of hours. During the daytime heat, they rest in nests of branches that are arranged on trees, at an altitude of about four to 30 meters (by the way, they build a nest for 5-6 minutes), and when the heat subsides, they again go for food. In the evenings they again build a nest and settle in it for the night.

Unlike other anthropoid apes, orangutans live singly. Exceptions are females with cubs and adolescents who prefer to stick together. However, adult females, when they meet each other, behave peacefully. Another matter – mature males. They do not tolerate rivals, and if two males meet, especially in the presence of a female, the fight almost always begins.

  • Orangutans belong to the genus of anthropoid apes.
  • According to DNA, orangutans are the closest apes to humans.
  • The word “orangutan” from Malay translates as “forest man”.
  • Orangutans are the largest tree monkeys. The average height is -1.5 m, weight is up to 100 kg.
  • Orangutans inhabited Southeast Asia 15 million years before humans.
  • The male orangutans have a beard and mustache.
  • In nature, orangutans live up to 30 years, in captivity to 65 years (this, they are the longest-lived among the primates after humans).
  • Orangutans live only on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.
  • The length of the hands of orangutans exceeds their height (hand length 2 meters, and height 1.5 meters).
  • Orangutans build nests for sleep.
  • Orangutans can not swim (they are afraid of water).
  • Orangutans spend most of their life on trees.
  • Orangutans are under threat of extinction.
  • Like people, orangutans can suffer from tobacco dependence.