Species profile

Name: orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. There are three distinct species: the Bornean orangutan, Sumatran orangutan, and Tapanuli orangutan.

Appearance: they are the most arboreal of the great apes, spending most of their time in trees. To help them move in the canopy, they have long arms and short legs, with reddish-brown hair covering their bodies. Dominant males have distinctive cheek pads to help them attract females.

Size: adult males weigh up to 75 kg, while females reach about half this size.

Diet: fruit is the most important part of their diet although they also eat leaves, bark, honey, insects, and bird eggs.

Did you know: orangutans are among the most intelligent primates. They use a variety of sophisticated tools to extract insects and seeds, and construct elaborate nests every night from branches and leaves. Their amazing learning abilities have been studied extensively, although in 2008 Spain became the first country to recognise their right not to be used for animal experiments based on the guidelines of the Great Ape Project.

Location: orangutans are native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia although are now only found in parts of Borneo and Sumatra. Sadly, all three species are considered to be critically endangered.

Where to see orangutans

According to reports submitted to WildSide, you can see orangutans in the following places:

Photo credit: Wallula under a Creative Commons license from Pixabay