These contributions have been made by students from
participating schools.
Click on a name to view their work.
| Fiona | Danielle | Angelo | |
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Orang-utan
Orang-utan are found in tropical rain forests on the islands of Sumatra.
Currently the population is about 30,000.
They eat fruit, leaves, flowers, buds, bark and insects. They live about 40-50
years in the wild and 50-60 years in captivity.
They build nest each night out of leaves and branches at the very top of the
tree. The female is not ready for a baby until she is in her teens.
The babies get nursed until they are six.
Orang-utan
Orangutans are large apes that live in southeast Asia (on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra). These apes mostly live in trees (they are arboreal) and swing from branch to branch using their arms.
The word orangutan means "man of the forest" in the Malay language. As its habitats are being usurped by man, the orangutan's population is decreasing and it is in grave danger of extinction.
Anatomy
Orangutans have a large, bulky body, a thick neck, very long, strong arms,
short, bowed legs, and no tail. Orangutans are about 2/3 the size of the gorilla.
Hair:
They are mostly covered with long reddish-brown hair.
The Head:
The orangutan has a large head with a large mouth area. Adult males have big
cheek flaps (which get larger as the ape ages).
Senses:
Orangutans have senses very similar to ours, including hearing, sight, smell,
taste, and touch.
Hands and Feet:
Orangutan hands are very much like ours; they have four long fingers plus
an opposable thumb. Their feet have four long toes plus an opposable big toe.
Orangutans can grasp things with both their hands and their feet. The largest
males have an arm span of about 7.5 feet (2.3 m).
Size
Orangutans are about 2/3 the size of the gorilla.
Orangutans Height Weight
Female 2.6-3.5 ft (0.8-1.1 m) 110 lb (50 kg)
Male 3.2-4.5 ft (1-1.4 m) 200 lb (90 kg)
Diet
Orangutans are omnivores (they eat both plants and animals) but are mostly
herbivorous (plants comprise most of their diet). They eat fruit (their favorite
food), leaves, seeds, tree bark, plant bulbs, tender plant shoots, and flowers.
They also eat insects and small animals (like birds and small mammals).
Orangutans don't even have to leave their tree branches to drink, they drink water that has collected in the holes between tree branches.
Intelligence and Language
Orangutans are very intelligent. They have been known to use found objects
as tools; for example, they use leaves as umbrellas to keep the rain from
getting them wet. They also use leaves as cups to help them drink water.
Behaviour and Social Habits
Orangutans are shy, solitary animals that are active during the day (they
are diurnal). They live alone in large territories. This is probably due to
their eating habits; they need a large area in order to get enough food and
too many orangutans in one area might lead to starvation.
The only long-lasting orangutan social group is the mother and offspring, who live together for about 7 years. When mating, the male and female orangutan stay together for only a few days.
Sleeping Platforms:
Each evening, orangutans construct a "nest" in the tree branches
for the night in which they will curl up and sleep. These nests are made out
of leaves and branches. Nests are shared by a mother and her nursing offspring.
Sometimes, the orangutan will use a leaf as a "roof" to protect
itself from the rain. Orangutans often nap in the afternoon after a morning
spent obtaining food.
By Angelo
Orangutans eat both plants and animals. This makes them omnivorous. Their
diet consists of fruit, nuts, shoots and insects. Sometimes they eat young
birds and small mammals. When they are ten, they can identify more than 200
different plants.
Orangutans are the only great apes outside Africa. They live in Sumatra and
Borneo.
The area where they live is being cleared for agriculture. The trees the orangutans
live in are getting cut down for logging. Poachers come and catch baby orangutans
for pets.
The rain forest is disappearing very quickly. If the forest keeps disappearing
at this rate there will be no orangutans in Sumatra by 2005 and none in Borneo
by 2010.
To sum up, the main threat to the orangutans is the destruction of their environment and the illegal pet trade.
We all need to do something about it.
Angelo
Anzac Hill High School
Alice Springs
Australia