Wild Animals A-Z

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Orangutan

Life in the Trees: The orangutan (which means "person of the forest" in Malay) spends most of its life in the forest canopy. Only males will occasionally descend to the ground. Its limbs are long and flexible. The feet of an orangutan have the ability to grasp branches, making movement through the treetops effortless. Almost all its food can be found among the branches and rain-filled leaves supply water.

Great Ape of Asia: Of the four great apes — gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans — only the orangutan makes its home in Asia; the others come from Africa.

Males and Females: Both male and female orangutans are reddish-brown, a unique color in the great ape world. Males can weigh over 200 pounds and are much larger than females. Males also grow distinct cheek pads, which grow larger as the animal ages. A reddish beard sprouts from the chin and long hair hangs from its arms like a cape. A throat sac is used to make its "long call," a warning to intruders and an advertisement to females.

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MORE ORANGUTAN

VIDEO: Orangutan Island Video Gallery

GAME: Orangutan Island Adventure

SITE: Orangutan Island

QUIZ: "Famous Orangutans" Quiz

INTERACTIVE: Orangutan Zoo Finder

FACTS: Orangutans At a Glance

VIDEO: Orangutan Memory

HELP: Adopt an Orangutan

DID YOU KNOW?

Emotional Orangutans: Baby orangutans cry when they're hungry, whimper when they're hurt and smile at their mothers. They express emotions just like we do: joy, fear, anger, surprise and more.

The Arboreal Great Ape: Of all the great apes, the orangutan is uniquely arboreal, spending most of its life in trees and only descending to the forest floor when it must.

Islands of Orangutans: Orangutans once lived throughout Asia, ranging as far north as China. Today, there are only about 40,000 left on the island of Borneo and 6,500 on the island of Sumatra.

Species on the Brink: Scienitsts recognize two orangutan species: the Bornean orangutan and the Sumatran orangutan. The continued spread of palm oil plantations could drive them both to extinction within our lifetime.