Orangutans
Description
The Malay word orangutan means “person of the forest.”
Orangutans are highly intelligent with an ability to reason and think.
This large, gentle red ape is one of our closest relatives, sharing 98% of
our DNA. Orangutans are part of the great ape family, so they tend to be
larger and heavier than monkeys, even though they are both primates. Great
apes also have a bigger brain and can use tools, such as sticks, to help
them get food to eat or leaves to make a sunshade or umbrella.
Location
Orangutans live in Asia and are found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, living in lowland and hilly tropical rainforests. They are regarded as an ‘umbrella species’, which means they are pivotal in creating the necessary environment for the thousands of fauna and flora that make up the biodiversity of the South East Asian rainforest. Its tree-swinging journeys help to spread tree seeds – in fact, some trees can only germinate when they have passed through an orangutan’s gut.
amount
A century ago there were probably more than 230,000 orangutans in total, but the Bornean orangutan is now estimated at about 104,700 based on updated geographic range (Endangered) and the Sumatran about 7,500 (Critically Endangered). A third species of orangutan was announced in November, 2017. With no more than 800 individuals in existence, the Tapanuli orangutan is the most endangered of all great apes.
Learn & Act
- BBC Earth
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- Britannica
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- Greenpeace
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- Sumatran Orangutan Society
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- National Geographic
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- New York Times
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- The Orangutan Project
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- World Wildlife Foundation