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Sumatran Orangutan General Information
The Sumatran Orangutan is a Critically Endangered Specie.
(CITES) Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species has the Sumatran
Orangutans on their Endangered Species list. It has been estimated that
only about 7,000 of these red apes are left in the whole world today. Did
you know that every minute of every day that land equaling the size of a
football field disappears from their habitat. Think about that for a moment. A
football field sized piece of land every second of every day. What a vast
amount of habitat loss on a daily basis. It will not be long before there is no
habitat left for this great ape. The Indonesian forest is diminishing in
size at a mind staggering rate. Did you know that orangutans are the ONLY
great ape that lives outside of Africa. This is true but may not be for
very much longer unless we all take notice and decide to care enough to make
changes.
Common Name: Orangutan - Scientific
Name: Pongo pygmaeus - Genus: Pongo
Class: Mammalia - Order: Primates - Family: Hominidae - Species: pygmaeus
Orangutans are a "keystone"
species for conservation. They play an important part in the forest's
regeneration through the fruits and seeds they eat. Their disappearance may
represent the loss of thousands of species of plants and animals within that
ecosystem. The world's remaining primary forests are essential to human
wellbeing on the planet, and the key to a healthy planet is biodiversity -
saving orangutans helps to conserve the countless other mammal, bird, reptile,
amphibian, insect, plant and other species that live in the Indonesian
rainforest.
How Long Do Orangutans Live?
 | Orangutans are known to live approximately 35 years in the wild. |
| Orangutans can live up to 55 years in captivity with god care. |
What Do Orangutans Eat?
| In the wild orangutans eat fruits, berries and leafy foods. |
| In captivity orangutans eat fruits, berries, leafy vegetables and a
special biscuit with vitamins in it. |
Physical Characteristics
| The word "Orangutan" is Malayan and means "Man of
the Forest." |
| Orangutans are known for their strength and power,
orangutans are seven times stronger than a human male. |
| An adult male has a large throat sac which the
male uses to make long calls to stake out territory and to attract
females. |
| Adult males have large throat and cheek pouches that
the females do not have. |
| Adult males have much much much longer hair than the females do. |
| Orangutans have long reddish-brown hair |
| Orangutans often are so red they are called orange apes. |
| They have very long arms and a large, heavy body. |
| Orangutans have an opposable thumb and very strong long fingers.
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| Orangutans have an opposable toe like their thumb and they also have very
strong long toes. |
| The length, strength and opposability of the hands and feet enables them
to grip quickly as the swing through the tree tops. |
How big are Orangutans?
| An adult male Sumatran orangutan is about 4.5 feet tall |
| An adult female Sumatran orangutan is about 3.5 feet tall |
| An adult male Sumatran orangutan weighs about 200 pounds but can be even
larger than that. |
| An adult female Sumatran orangutan weighs about 110 pounds but can be even
larger than that. |
| Baby orangutans weigh between 1 and 3 pounds when they are born. |
What is the Behavior of Orangutans?
| Orangutans are considered Diurnal That means they are more active in the
day time then at night. |
| Basically orangutans spend allot of time solitary |
| At night orangutans make nests and rest, usually up in the trees. |
| During the day males make calls for females that are ready to breed.
During this time several females may hang around in the same area. |
About the Reproduction of Orangutans:
| Orangutans almost always have just one baby at a time, twins are extremely
rare. |
| Gestation is about 8.5 months |
| Baby orangutans stay with their mothers for 7 to 8 years. |
| Orangutans reproduce slower than any other primate because females only
have a baby about every 7 to 8 years. |
| This extremely slow reproduction rate will make is very difficult and slow
to brig the number of orangutans back up to a safe number. |
Where do orangutans live?
| Only in the rainforests of the Islands of Sumatra in Southeast Asia &
Borneo |
Why are Orangutans Endangered?
| Habitat destruction is a huge reason |
| Logging is destroying much of their habitat: This often includes
the deliberate starting of forest fires in
order to convert virgin forest to timber and palm oil plantations are the main
factors responsible for the loss of over 80% of orangutan habitat over the
last 20 years. |
| By having their jungle environment burned
out and logged making their food sources lost, the orangutan population is
dropped by as many as 1000 per year. |
| Human encroachment is where humans are taking over the habitats of
orangutans and pushing them off the land into smaller and smaller habitats. |
| Poaching is a major problem as well. Poaching is illegal hunting.
There is simply not enough enforcement of laws protecting these great red
apes. |
| Smuggling is another major problem. Orangutans are captured in the
wild and snuck out of the country and sold into captivity. Often the adults
are mercilessly slaughtered so the babies can be captured. |
| If you do not buy lumber from Indonesia that will
help cut the demand for destroying the rainforest. |
| Make sure that nothing you do supports the primate
pet trade. That includes paying to go see private collections. |
| Do not have a primate as a pet. |
| Write your legislature |
| Email your legislature |
| Call your legislature |
| Encourage others to do the same |
| Keep informed on laws concerning the environment and
the exotic pet trade. |
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