Where does the orangutan live on the mainland. The great ape is the orangutan. Interesting facts (13 photos). Amazing abilities of great apes

Genus orangutans-genus pongo
- Pongo pygmaeus Linnaeus, 1760 (III, 178)

There is one species in the genus: the orangutan P. pygmaeus, which is included in the IUCN Red List and in the Annex of the Convention on international trade.

Why is it listed in the Red Book?

The orangutan is endangered. main reason reduction in numbers - human development of habitats and the killing of adult animals in order to capture young animals for keeping in captivity.

They are protected by law, but it is very difficult to implement it in some places. About 600 Orangutans live in zoos and various nurseries around the world. From 1973 to 1981, approximately 120 animals born in captivity were released into the wild.

How to find out

Body length up to 150 cm (Fig. 38, color table 4, /). Weight up to 100 kg Females are significantly smaller than males. The forelimbs are greatly elongated. The build is rather awkward, the belly is large. The head is round, the front part is wide, slightly pushed forward and has a spherical shape.

The first fingers on the front and hind limbs are poorly developed. The hairline is quite sparse, high, and shaggy. Its color is dark red or reddish-brown.

Where does he live?

Distributed in West, Central and East Kalimantan (P. p. pygmaeus) and North Sumatra (P. p. abeln).

Lifestyle and biology

They inhabit primary and secondary rain forest at altitudes up to 600-800, sometimes up to 1400 m above the river. seas Lead an arboreal lifestyle. Active during the day. They live alone, in pairs or usually in small family groups.

They feed mainly on fruits, as well as leaves, seeds, sprouts, chicks and bird eggs.

Pregnancy 8-9 months. There is one cub in the litter. The female gives birth once every 3-4 years. Sexual maturity occurs at 7-10 years. They live up to 40 years.

The total number of orangutans is probably 5-10 thousand individuals (according to other authors, about 1 thousand). The average density of animals in the lowlands in optimal conditions- three per 1 km2, on hills - one or less.

Every living creature has its own genetic code. We begin our life with him and we end with him. Using this code, you can determine and predict a lot because genetics is indeed a very powerful science.

Closest to people genetic code is monkey orangutan– an interesting, unusual and intelligent animal. Why orangutan, but not orangutan, How are we all used to pronouncing this word?

In fact, both names can be used, but it would be more correct to call this animal an orangutan. The thing is that orangutans are called “debtors” when translated into our language.

Orangutan in translation means “forest man”, which fully characterizes this amazing creature. And although it is customary to call it differently, it is still better to pronounce their name correctly. There are two types of orangutans - Bornean and Sumatran.

Habitat

More recently, these apes could be found in Southeast Asia. But these days there are none left there. Orangutan habitat limited only to Borneo and Sumatra.

Animals feel comfortable in the dense and humid tropical forests of Malaysia and Indonesia. Orangutans prefer to live alone. They are smart and attentive. All yours free time The animals spend their time in the trees, which is why they are commonly considered arboreal monkeys.

This lifestyle requires strong forelimbs, which in fact it is. Indeed, the forelimbs of orangutans are much larger and stronger, which cannot be said about the hind limbs.

To move between far standing trees Orangutans don't have to come to earth. To do this, they use vines with great skill and enthusiasm, swinging on them like on ropes and thus moving from tree to tree.

They feel completely safe in the trees. They even try to look for water somewhere, so as not to go down to the ground - they collect it from leaves and even from their fur. If for some reason they have to walk on the ground, they do it with the help of all four limbs.

This is how they move at a young age. Orangutans, which are older, use only their lower limbs for walking, why at dusk they can sometimes be confused with local population. These animals choose tree branches to sleep at night. Sometimes they have a desire to build something like a nest.

Appearance and behavior of an orangutan

to his appearance orangutans, although they are not the standard of beauty, evoke sympathy. There is something about this goon that makes you smile. They are difficult to confuse with any other animals.

If he stands vertically, his height reaches 130-140 cm. Average weight there can be about 100 kg. Sometimes the mark on the scale reaches 180 kg. Orangutans have a square body shape. Their main feature is strong and muscular limbs.

You can tell that this is an orangutan and not something else by the animal’s overly elongated forelimbs, which usually hang below their knees. The hind limbs, on the contrary, are too short.

In addition, they are crooked. The animal's feet and palms are quite large. Another distinctive feature of them is that they are opposed to all others. thumb.

This structure helps the monkey well when moving through the trees. At the ends of the fingers there are nails that are very similar to human ones. The front part of the animal's head is very prominent with a convex skull.

The eyes sit close to each other. The nostrils don't stand out much. The facial expressions of orangutans are well developed, so they are big fans of making faces. The female orangutan is significantly different from her male. Its weight is usually no more than 50 kg.

A male can be identified not only by his large size, but also by a special ridge around his muzzle. It becomes even more expressive in adults. A beard and mustache are also added to it.

Male orangutan

The fur of young orangutans is a deep red color. The older they get, the more their fur takes on dark brown tones. It's long enough. Its length at the shoulders sometimes reaches 40 cm.

As for the behavior of orangutans, it differs significantly from all other primates. They behave quietly and silently, it is almost impossible to hear their voices in the forest.

These are calm and peace-loving creatures who have never been the instigators of fights, prefer to behave with imposingness and even choose a slow pace when moving. If I may say so, orangutans behave much more intelligently among all their other brothers.

They divide the territory into military areas, for which they do not have to wage aggressive wars with each other - somehow all this is resolved peacefully among orangutans. But this can only be said about females. Males zealously defend their territory, emitting loud cries and sometimes even getting into fights.

Due to their calm and peaceful nature, orangutans do not put up much resistance when captured. They are comfortable living in captivity, which is why this animal can most often be found in zoos. These monkeys are terribly afraid of water, even though they live in the jungle. They have absolutely no swimming ability; there have been cases when they drowned.

This is the smartest thing Living being after people. Being near people for a long time, orangutans can easily find them mutual language, adopt their habits.

In history there were even such anthropoid apes that comprehended sign language and communicated with people in this way. True, due to their modesty, they communicated in this way only with people they knew closely. For everyone else, they pretended that this was unfamiliar to them.

Orangutans can whine and cry, loudly smack and puff, males, when they need to attract a female, roar deafeningly and loudly. These animals are on the verge of extinction.

This is facilitated by the constant destruction of their habitat and poaching. baby orangutan. Moreover female orangutan at the same time she has to kill because she will never give her baby to anyone.

Orangutan nutrition

These animals cannot be called pure vegetarians. Yes, their main food is leaves, bark and fruits of trees. But it happens that orangutans allow themselves to feast on bird eggs and sometimes even chicks.

Some of them can hunt lorises, which are distinguished by their slowness. Monkeys love sweet honey and nuts. They are delighted with bananas, mangoes, plums, and figs.

They mainly get food from trees. The fact that orangutans are impressive in size does not mean at all that they are gluttonous. Orangutans eat little and can sometimes go without food for a long time.

Reproduction and lifespan

At 10-12 years old, orangutans are ready to continue their kind. It is at this time that they choose a mate for themselves with special care. IN natural conditions sometimes for one strongest male there are several females with cubs.

The pregnant female enjoys special favor in this small group. In captivity, it was noticed that it is the very first one that is usually allowed to go to the feeder. The duration of pregnancy lasts half a month less than in humans - 8.5 months.

Childbirth proceeds quickly. After them, the female takes the baby in her arms, eats the spot, licks it, gnaws the umbilical cord and places it on her breast. The baby's weight is no more than 1.5 kg.

From birth until the age of 4, small orangutans feed on their mother's milk. Until about 2 years of age, they are almost completely inseparable from the female. Wherever she goes, she will take and carry her baby in her arms.

In general, there is always a very close connection between the mother and the little orangutan. The mother takes care of her baby's cleanliness by licking it frequently. The father does not take part at all in the process of the birth of an heir and his further upbringing. Everything that happens during the birth of the baby frightens the head of the family.

With an already grown-up baby, males to a greater extent play only solely on the initiative of the baby. If you observe families of orangutans, you can conclude that their lives are spent in a calm and measured environment, without screams or aggression. They live for about 50 years.

Orangutans live in southwestern Africa, in a rainy and hot climate. These shaggy animals move deftly through the trees.

Large male orangutans lose their former dexterity, the branches can hardly support their weight, so some adult individuals live on the ground.

Huge animals move on their hind legs. The word “orangutan” is translated into Russian as “forest man.”

What kind of environment do huge monkeys live in?

So where does the orangutan live? Monkeys, in their own way appearance similar to humans, live exclusively in the tropics. There are two varieties of orangutans: Bornean and Sumatran.

Habitat great apes is a swampy area with dense forests. Orangutans are not afraid of any obstacles: they easily overcome long distances between trees.

When moving along branches, animals usually use their forelimbs. The span of the orangutan's paws is simply amazing: it is approximately two meters.

The great apes orangutans are so accustomed to living in tree branches that they never go down to bodies of water. They draw water from leaves, an old hollow, or find it on their thick fur.

Young orangutans walk on the ground on all four legs. Adult monkeys prefer to walk on two legs, so they can be confused with people from local tribes.

Orangutans are unpretentious in everyday life: they go to sleep on tree branches. Some individuals make nests in the crowns of trees.

What do orangutans look like?

Photos of the orangutan can be found in worldwide network, and in numerous books about animals. Adults make a terrifying impression: they have huge body with a slightly elongated skull. The orangutan's front paws reach the feet, and the monkey leans on them when walking on the ground.

The weight of an adult male varies from 80 to 100 kg, his height usually does not exceed 150 cm. Females weigh much less - about 45 kg. The monkeys have enough plump lips, their eyes are similar to human ones.

Amazing abilities of great apes

The orangutan monkey is quite intelligent. Her brain is very different from the brains of other monkeys. Orangutans can use simple tools to get food, and they can perceive human speech.

Monkeys communicate with each other through various sounds. Male individuals rarely go beyond their territory.

If a chance meeting of two males occurs, the animals will begin to demonstrate their superiority: they break tree branches and intimidate the enemy with a loud cry.

Females get along well with each other, they can live in pairs and get food together.

Baby apes

Pregnancy in the great ape lasts 8.5 months. In most cases, only one baby orangutan is born. Some females give birth to two babies at once.

The weight of a newborn orangutan usually does not exceed two kilograms. At first, the babies firmly grasp the skin located on the mother’s chest, then they move onto her back.

The cubs feed on milk for quite a long time: at least two years. They usually stay with their mother until they reach the age of six, after which they separate from her and live independently.

The average lifespan of a female great ape is 50 years, during which time she usually manages to raise five babies.

Orangutans have virtually no enemies in the wild; they live in tree branches, so predators cannot reach them.

But due to massive deforestation tropical forests monkeys are deprived of their usual habitat.

Orangutans also suffer from poachers. The animals are highly prized on the black market, so cruel profit seekers have no qualms about killing the female and taking her cub.

Fortunately, there is also good people, who are not indifferent to the fate of great apes. Volunteers try to provide all possible assistance to the animals.

There was even a film made about the baby apes called “Orangutan Island.” The film tells about the relationship between animals and people.

Orangutan photo

Russian name- orangutan
Latin name- Pongo pygmaeus
English name- Orangutan
Squad- Primates
Family- Great apes (Pongidae)
Genus- orangutan (pongo)

There is one species in the genus orangutan, which is divided into two subspecies that live separately - the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus abellii) and the Kalimantan or Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus).

Status of the species in nature

Currently, there is a critical threat of extinction of this species in nature. It is included in the international Red Book - IUCN (CR) and in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade (CITES).

Species and man

Orangutan populations are declining due to the destruction of their habitat and, previously, due to the capture of animals for the illegal trade.
The orangutan is now on the verge of extinction from the wild. Orangutans are very sensitive to selective deforestation and will leave areas where logging is intensive. Most forests outside the reserves are disappearing into agricultural land or have already disappeared. Thus, the only effective way to protect orangutans is to protect their habitat, which can only be possible by creating the best possible more nature reserves and national parks.

Spreading

Orangutans were once widespread throughout South-East Asia and Indochina, currently found in the north of the island. Sumatra and in the lowlands of the island. Kalimantan (Borneo).
They live in jungles covering lowlands and hills, including two-story forests and forests on peat bogs. Orangutans are tree dwellers. The Indonesians call them "forest people."

Appearance

The length of the body (including the head) of the male is about 100 cm, of the female - about 80 cm.
The standing height of the male is about 140 cm, the female is more than 110-115 cm. The weight of the male is 60 - 90 kg, the female - 40 - 50 kg.
A coat of long, but sparse and coarse red hair. Hair color varies from bright orange in young animals to brown or dark chocolate in adults. The face is hairless, the facial skin is black, slightly pinkish in the area of ​​the nostrils and around the eyes - in young orangs. In adult males, the cheek folds of porous tissue and the throat skin fold- "bag". The teeth and jaws are quite massive and make it possible to split and crush hard shells of mollusks and large nuts. The arm span can reach 2 m, which helps monkeys easily move from tree to tree.
Sumatran orangutans have a slimmer build, paler coloration, more long hair and a more elongated face than Bornean orangutans.

Lifestyle and social organization

They live in trees, are active during the day, and rarely come down to the ground. At night they build nests from branches broken and placed in the forks of trees. They sleep covered with leaves and branches. Females try to stay high in the trees - up to 20 m, males often descend lower and move on the ground much more often than females.
Orangutans are solitary animals and usually travel and feed in isolation. This is especially typical for orangutans from the island. Borneo. Orangutans living on the island. Sumatra, more sociable.
Orangutans recognize the rights of another individual sharing territory with them, thus demonstrating their sociality. Females often create groups of preferred communication - depending on the age of the cubs. Although young males sometimes also create groups, the relationships between animals there are of a competitive nature. The victory cry - the “long call”, which an adult male emits several times a day, forces younger or weaker males to stay away. When meeting, adult males demonstrate their aggressiveness and strength to each other, and sometimes this leads to chases and battles on the ground. Adult males tolerate the presence of young males close to them only in cases where the young maintain a certain distance.
Among primates living in captivity, orangutans gain greatest number points in experiments to determine the level of intelligence. In the wild, orangutans often use their intelligence to create complex adaptations that allow them to access food supplies that are inaccessible to other animals. These monkeys are excellent imitators: they quickly learn from each other the skills they need, including the skills of using tools. Their ability to repeat the behavior of other individuals leads to the emergence of behavioral traditions that are characteristic only of animals in a given area or group. Therefore, in different areas of their habitat, orangutans use different techniques for building nests, make different sounds, and obtain and use food in different ways.

Vocalization

Orangutans are quite silent. There are a number of squeak-like sounds that mother and calf use to communicate. The most famous is the so-called long call, which can be emitted by a sexually mature, self-confident male. This cry can be heard in the jungle at a distance of several kilometers. With such cries, animals notify of their presence, but these sounds do not carry any aggressive or sexual overtones.
Nutrition and feeding behavior
Orangutans eat fruits (durian, rambutan, jackfruit, lychee, mangosteen, mango, figs), young shoots of vines and trees along with bark. Bird eggs, small invertebrates and insects are sometimes found and eaten. These monkeys are very inventive and skillful in in different ways obtaining food from hard-to-reach places.
There is also a noticeable difference in food preferences: Sumatran orangs eat more fruits and invertebrates, but less twig food than Bornean animals. Only Sumatran orangs know how to make tools for obtaining food.

Reproduction and raising of offspring

Reproduction is non-seasonal, and mating occurs not only during the period of ovulation. In nature, females reach sexual maturity at 10 years of age, but usually do not bear offspring for another five years. The childbearing period lasts up to 30 years. One cub is born to a female every 3 - 6 years, pregnancy lasts 235 - 270 days. The female feeds the baby until the age of 3, but young orangutans become completely independent only by the age of 7–10.
Males reach sexual maturity by 12 years, and by this time they acquire all the signs of adulthood. An adult male is twice as large as a female, the skin on his cheeks grows in the form of folds - a “facial disc”, a characteristic cervical bursa and a hairy “hood” are formed on the head. Rapidly developing males may mature earlier than 10 years, while others may take much longer to mature. This developmental delay, which likely represents an adaptive survival strategy for the species, is more common in the Sumatran subspecies. Here, the population ratio of adolescent males to adult males is three times higher than in Borneo.
After the birth of the baby, the mother constantly carries the baby on herself throughout the entire first year of its life. For another four years, the cub is constantly associated with the mother if she moves from place to place. Mothers are very patient with their children, who sleep in the mother's nest until they are weaned. Even after finishing breastfeeding the cub communicates a lot with its mother. The interval between births of cubs is several years. In the wild, females live up to about 45 years, and during their lives they are capable of producing only 4–6 viable cubs - this is the most low rate among mammals.
After weaning (at about 3 years), the little orangutan becomes more independent. Teenagers and young adults play with each other for a long time, travel together and later sometimes create married couples. Having matured, males usually break off relations with their mothers, and young females often return to their mother. The male does not take part in raising children.

Lifespan

IN wildlife live up to 35–45 years, in captivity - at good conditions- up to 60 years old.
The Story of Life at the Zoo
Orangutans live in the “Monkeys” pavilion on the New Territory of the zoo; in the warm season they happily move to outdoor enclosures. These monkeys have been kept in the Moscow Zoo since the 60s of the last century. In 1985, when there were 8 individuals in the collection, work began on breeding this species. First, pairs were formed, which took more than a year. These highly intelligent animals are guided by their own likes and dislikes when choosing a partner, so sometimes psychological incompatibility between the male and female occurs. Together with the staff of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the 2nd Medical Institute and the Center for Mother and Child Health, the reproductive status of each individual was clarified and the necessary therapy was carried out.
When two females became pregnant, specialists from these institutions constantly monitored the animals. Now the second generation of orangutans lives in the Moscow Zoo. Work on their maintenance and breeding is carried out within the framework of the Pan-European Program for the Conservation and Breeding of Rare and Endangered Species (EEP).
The zoo exhibit features a group of Sumatran orangutans (an adult male, two females and two cubs - a female and a male) and a group of Bornean orangutans (also one male, two females and two cubs).
When keeping orangutans in captivity, the most acute problem is their employment, since their highly developed intelligence requires an adequate lifestyle. Therefore, orangutans are constantly given a variety of play material, while people have to be almost more inventive than animals, since monkeys quickly get bored with the same activity. The orangutans spend a long time collecting seeds from a bale of hay scattered on the floor. Some of our intellectuals draw with crayons. At one time, there were transparent “puzzle glasses” in the enclosures, from which orangs could use chopsticks to get their favorite treats - nuts and candied fruits. When the animals learned to cope with the task quickly, they dismantled the transverse partitions and began to use these “glasses” as resting places, miraculously fitting into them. Then he got tired of this, and the male literally “smashed” the “glass” into small pieces. Orangutans are happy to try on human clothes, which are given to them by employees from time to time. But blankets, or at least pieces of burlap, are in particular demand - “ forest people“They enjoy wrapping themselves in them while relaxing.
Orangutans, like other great apes, are fed three to four times a day. The diet is very varied: fruits (apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, pears, peaches), vegetables (potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, greens), cottage cheese, yogurt, cereals, chicken, eggs, various nuts. Monkeys drink, in addition to water, juices, tea and compote.

Both chimpanzees and orangutans are classified as apes. This means that: they are very smart, their forelimbs are much longer than their hind limbs, all their fingers have nails, and their body structure is more similar to that of other primates than other primates.

There are 2 options for the name of this primate - “orangutan” and “orangutan”, but in scientific world It is customary to use the first option. Previously, only one species of this animal was identified - the common orangutan ( Pongo pygmaeus), which was divided into 2 subspecies: Sumatran and Bornean orangutans.

Bornesian orangutan Sumatran orangutan

Now there are 2 independent species: the Sumatran orangutan ( Pongo abelii) and Bornean orangutan ( Pongo pygmaeus). The latter, in turn, is divided into 3 subspecies, the main difference between which lies only in the habitat areas on the island. Borneo. The word "orangutan" translates as "forest man".

These monkeys are found only on 2 large Indonesian islands - Sumatra and Borneo. The dense crown of trees is their home. Here they eat, sleep and rest. Due to their arboreal lifestyle, they even drink water from hollows, from leaves, or dip their shaggy paws in water and lick off what is left.

Females are easy to distinguish from males. They are much smaller. While male orangutans weigh about 60-90 kilograms and their height can reach 1.5 meters, females grow no more than 1 meter in height and weigh only 30-50 kilograms. With a very massive build, their hind limbs are short, but their forelimbs are very long. In span they can reach 2-2.5 meters.

Male and female

Thanks to this structural feature, orangutans move very well in trees. They do it slowly. But before moving to another branch, they check their strength. Good grip is provided to the monkey by the big toes, which are opposed to the other toes. On the ground they walk on all fours, stepping on the ground with the back of the middle phalanges of the forelimbs.

Their entire body is covered with sparse but long hair of red-brown color. As the animal ages, it darkens. Males have special growths of connective tissue and fat on the face in the cheek area, and a large throat pouch adorns the neck, which helps to amplify the voice.

Cheek pouches in males

Orangutans live either alone (most often this applies to males) or in small groups consisting of 2-4 individuals (a female with 1-2 cubs or a male with a female and their offspring).

Each male has his own territory, which is inhabited by several females. The latter treat each other quite calmly and can even sometimes feed together. With males the situation is somewhat different. If they met, then a showdown cannot be avoided.

The demonstration of strength begins with a menacing growl and is accompanied by the breaking of branches. However, fights can usually be avoided. One of the males sooner or later gives in and leaves the place of the “battle.” Still, these are very peaceful animals, unless it comes to protecting their young, but more on that a little later.

As evening approaches, everyone begins to prepare for bed. Preparation consists of building a sleeping nest. Most often it is located in the fork of large branches in the middle part of the tree and is a litter of twigs. The cub sleeps with its mother. This is where they rest during the day.

Having woken up early in the morning and stretched sweetly, they go to breakfast. Orangutans feed on leaves and fruits of trees. A special delicacy for them are durian fruits, which resemble green balls with thorns. Having opened their shell, the monkeys use their fingers to begin to extract the white pulp. In addition to leaves and fruits, they will also be happy to snack on insects, bird eggs or enjoy honey, nuts and tree bark.

After good breakfast or lunchtime, it’s time for them to rest, when the babies begin to play, and the adults lie peacefully in their nests.

Orangutans do not like water, so during rains they try to hide under wide leaves. They also do not know how to swim and, if they get into the water, they can drown.

With the coming mating season males begin to attract their future darlings with a song, which is a mixture of grunts and a vibrating roar. After 8.5 months, the female gives birth to 1, rarely 2, cubs. They weigh only 1.5-2 kilograms. Almost immediately after birth, the baby clings to the fur on the mother's chest and begins to suckle milk. Lactation lasts up to 3-4 years.

Simultaneously with feeding with milk, the female begins to gradually accustom the baby to plant foods, putting well-chewed leaves on it. From the age of 4, the little orangutan already becomes independent, but still continues to live next to its mother until it is 6-8 years old.

Sexual maturity in females occurs at 8-12 years, in males - at 14-15 years. Life expectancy of orangutans natural environment habitat can reach 30 years, and in captivity – even longer.

These monkeys became famous for their intelligence and intelligence. They learn everything quickly. In zoos they often adopt human habits. Some of them figured out to use various tools, such as sticks, to get food. With their help, monkeys can bring fruits floating on the surface of the water closer to them.

But, alas, every year there are fewer and fewer of these wonderful monkeys. The reason for this was the destruction of their habitat and poaching. The hunt is for baby orangutans, but the female will never give up her child, so she is killed. At moments of protection of their family, males can represent for people or animals mortal danger.

There is one known case when in 1984 in the north of the island. Borneo poachers were attacked by male orangutans after they started shooting at a female to steal her baby. Three poachers were beaten to death by the animals. Even the guns couldn't save them.