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

Orangutan genus- 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 Appendix of the Convention on International Trade.

Why is it listed in the Red Book

The orangutan is endangered. The main reason for the decline in numbers is the development of habitats by humans and the killing of adult animals in order to capture cubs 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. Between 1973 and 1981, approximately 120 captive-born animals 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 much smaller than males. The forelimbs are greatly elongated. The build is rather awkward, the belly is large. The head is rounded, the front part is wide, somewhat pushed forward and has a spherical shape.

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

Where does it live

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

Lifestyle and biology

They inhabit the primary and secondary rainforest at an altitude of 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 in small family groups.

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

Pregnancy 8-9 months. There is one cub in the litter. The female gives birth every 3-4 years. Sexual maturity occurs at 7-10 years. 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 under optimal conditions is three per 1 km2, on the hills - one or less.

Every living being has its own genetic code. With him we begin our life and with him we end. Much can be determined and predicted from this code, because genetics is indeed a very strong science.

The genetic code closest to humans is monkey orangutan- an interesting, unusual and intelligent animal. Why orangutan, but not orangutan, how do we all pronounce this word?

In fact, one and the second name can be used, but it would be more correct to call this animal an orangutan. The thing is that orangutans are called "debtors" in 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 anthropoid apes could be found in Southeast Asia. But today they are not there. Orangutan habitat limited to Borneo and Sumatra.

Animals feel comfortable in dense and humid tropical Malaysian and Indonesian forests. Orangutans prefer to live alone. They are smart and attentive. Animals spend all their free time on trees, so they are considered to be tree 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 do not have to descend to the ground. To do this, they use vines with great skill and enthusiasm, swinging on them, like on ropes, and thus moving from tree to tree.

In the trees, they feel completely safe. 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 wool. 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. Older orangutans, on the other hand, use only their lower limbs for walking, which is why at dusk they can sometimes be confused with the local population. For the night, these animals choose tree branches. Sometimes they have a desire to build something like a nest.

The appearance and behavior of the orangutan

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

If it stands upright, its height reaches 130-140 cm. Their average weight can be about 100 kg. Sometimes the mark on the scales reaches up to 180 kg. The torso of orangutans is square in shape. Their main feature is strong and muscular limbs.

You can determine that this is an orangutan, and not someone else, by the animal's too elongated forelimbs, usually they hang below their knees. The hind limbs, on the contrary, are too short.

In addition, they are crooked. The feet and palms of the animal are quite large. Another distinguishing feature of them is the thumb opposed to all the rest.

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

The eyes are set close to each other. The nostrils are not particularly prominent. The facial expressions of orangutans are well developed, so they are big fans of grimacing. The female orangutan is significantly different from her male. Its weight is usually no more than 50 kg.

The male can be identified not only by its large size, but also by a special roller around their muzzle. It becomes even more expressive in very adults. Added to it is a beard and mustache.

male orangutan

The wool of young orangutans has a rich red color. The older they get, the more the coat becomes dark brown. It is long enough. Its length in the shoulder area 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 peaceful 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 brethren.

They divide the territory into their own personal plots, for which they do not have to wage aggressive wars with each other - somehow all this among the orangutans is resolved peacefully. But this can only be said about females. Males, on the other hand, zealously defend their territory, uttering loud cries and sometimes even entering into a fight.

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

This is the most intelligent living being after humans. Being close to a person for a long time, orangutans can easily find a common language with them, adopt their habits.

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

Orangutans can whimper and cry, puff and puff loudly, 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. orangutan cubs. And female orangutan at the same time, she has to kill because she will never give her baby to anyone.

Orangutan food

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 eat bird eggs and sometimes even chicks.

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

They mainly get their food from trees. The fact that orangutans have an impressive size does not mean that they are gluttonous. Orangutans eat a little, sometimes they can 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 carefully choose a couple for themselves. Under natural conditions, sometimes there are several females with cubs for one of the strongest males.

The pregnant female in this small group enjoys a special location. In captivity, it was noticed that it was her very first to be passed to the feeder. The duration of pregnancy lasts half a month less than in humans - 8.5 months.

Childbirth goes by quickly. After them, the female takes the baby in her arms, eats the place, licks it, gnaws through the umbilical cord and attaches it to her chest. The weight of the baby is not more than 1.5 kg.

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

In general, there is always a very close relationship between the mother and the little orangutan. The mother takes care of the cleanliness of her child, often licking him. The father in the process of the birth of the heir into the world and his further upbringing does not take part at all. Everything that happens during the appearance of the baby scares the head of the family.

With an already grown baby, males play to a greater extent only from the initiative of the baby. If you observe the families of orangutans, you can conclude that their life takes place in a calm and measured atmosphere, without screaming and aggression. They live for about 50 years.

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

Large male orangutans lose their former dexterity, branches can hardly support their weight, so some adults 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 giant monkeys live in?

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

The habitat of the 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 the branches, animals usually use their forelimbs. The span of the paws of the orangutan is simply amazing: it is approximately two meters.

Orangutan apes are so accustomed to living in the branches of trees that once again they do not go down to the reservoirs. They draw water from leaves, an old hollow, or find it on their thick wool.

Young orangutans move 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 bed on tree branches. Some individuals arrange their nests in the crown of trees.

What do orangutans look like?

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

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

Amazing abilities of great apes

The orangutan monkey is pretty smart. Her brain is very different from the brains of other monkeys. Orangutans can use unpretentious tools for obtaining food, they are able to perceive human speech.

Monkeys communicate with each other through various sounds. Males rarely venture outside their territory.

If there is a chance meeting of two males, the animals will begin to demonstrate their superiority: they break the branches of trees, frighten the enemy with a loud cry.

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

Baby great apes

Pregnancy in a great ape lasts 8.5 months. In most cases, only one orangutan cub is born. Some females have two babies at once.

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

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 on their own.

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

Orangutans have practically no enemies in the wild, they live in the branches of trees, so predators cannot get to them.

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

Orangutans also suffer from the actions of poachers. Animals are highly valued on the black market, so cruel profit seekers shamelessly kill the female and take the cub from her.

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

About the babies of great apes, a film was even made called “Orangutan Island”. The film tells about the relationship of animals with people.

Photo of an orangutan

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

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

The 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).

View and person

Orangutan populations are declining due to the destruction of their habitat and, earlier, due to the capture of animals for illegal trade.
Now the orangutan is on the verge of complete extinction from the wild. Orangutans are very sensitive to selective deforestation and leave areas where logging is intensive. Most of the forests outside the reserves are disappearing, turning 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 with the creation of as many natural reserves and national parks as possible.

Spreading

Once orangutans were widespread throughout Southeast Asia and Indochina, are currently found in the north of about. Sumatra and in the low part of about. Kalimantan (Borneo).
They live in the jungle covering lowlands and hills, including in two-tier forests and forests in peat bogs. Orangutans are tree dwellers. Indonesians call them "forest people".

Appearance

The length of the body (including the head) of the male is about 100 cm, the female is about 80 cm.
The height of a male standing on his feet is about 140 cm, females - more than 110–115 cm. The weight of a male is 60 - 90 kg, females - 40 - 50 kg.
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 without hair, the skin of the face is black, slightly pinkish in the region of the nostrils and around the eyes - in young orangs. In adult males, buccal folds of porous tissue and a throat skin fold - a “bag” are clearly expressed. 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 the monkeys to easily move from tree to tree.
Sumatran orangutans have a thinner build, paler coloration, longer hair, and a more elongated face than Bornean orangutans.

Lifestyle and social organization

They live in trees, are active during the day, rarely descend to the ground. At night, they build nests from branches broken and laid in the forks of trees. They sleep under leaves and branches. Females try to stay high on trees - up to 20 m, males often go lower and much more often than females move on the ground.
Orangutans are solitary animals, usually traveling and feeding in isolation. This is especially characteristic of orangutans from about. Borneo. Orangutans living on about. Sumatra, more sociable.
Orangutans recognize the rights of another individual that shares territory with them, thus showing their sociality. Females often create preferential communication groups - depending on the age of the cubs. Although young males sometimes also form groups, but there relationships between animals are of a competitive nature. The victory cry - "long call", which an adult male publishes several times a day, forces younger or weaker males to stay away. When meeting, adult males show each other their aggressiveness and strength, and sometimes this leads to chases and battles on the ground. Adult males tolerate the presence of young males close to them only in those cases when the young maintain a certain distance.
Among captive primates, orangutans score the highest in intelligence experiments. In nature, orangutans often use their intelligence to create complex adaptations that enable them to reach food supplies that other animals cannot. These monkeys are excellent imitators: they quickly learn from each other the skills they need, including how to use tools. Their ability to repeat the behavior of other individuals leads to the emergence of behavioral traditions that are characteristic only for animals of a given area or group. Therefore, in different areas of their habitat, orangutans use different techniques for building nests, make different sounds, and extract and use food in different ways.

Vocalization

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

Reproduction and rearing 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 old, but usually do not bear offspring for another five years. The childbearing period lasts up to 30 years. One cub is born to the female every 3 - 6 years, pregnancy lasts 235 - 270 days. The female feeds the baby up to 3 years old, but young orangutans become completely independent only by the age of 7–10 years.
Males reach sexual maturity by the age of 12, 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 disk”, a characteristic neck bag and a hair “hood” on his head are formed. Rapidly developing males may mature earlier than 10 years, while others may take a long time to mature. Such developmental delay, which probably represents an adaptive strategy for the survival of the species, is more characteristic of the Sumatran subspecies. Here, the ratio in the population of adolescent males and adult males is three times higher than in Borneo.
After the birth of the baby, the mother constantly carries the cub on herself during the entire first year of his life. For another four years, the cub is constantly connected with the mother if she moves from place to place. Mothers are very patient with their babies, who sleep in the mother's nest until they are weaned. Even at the end of breastfeeding, the cub communicates a lot with the mother. The interval between births of cubs is several years. In the wild, females live up to about 45 years, and in their life they are able to bring only 4-6 viable cubs - this is the lowest figure among mammals.
After weaning (at about 3 years old), the little orangutan becomes more independent. Teenagers and young people play with each other for a long time, travel together and later sometimes create married couples. As adults, males usually break off relations with their mothers, and young females often return to their mother. The male does not take part in the upbringing of children.

Lifespan

In the wild, they live up to 35-45 years, in captivity - under good conditions - up to 60 years.
History of Life at the Zoo
Orangutans live in the "Monkeys" pavilion in the New Territory of the Zoo, in the warm season they move to outdoor enclosures with pleasure. These monkeys have been kept in the Moscow Zoo since the 1960s. In 1985, when there were 8 individuals in the collection, work was started on breeding this species. Pairs were formed first, which took over a year. These highly intelligent animals are guided by their own likes and dislikes when choosing a partner, so sometimes there is a psychological incompatibility between the male and the female. 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 exhibits 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 problem of their employment is most acute, since their highly developed intellect 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 the monkeys quickly get bored with the same activity. For a long time it takes orangutans to collect seeds in a bale of hay scattered on the floor. Some of our intellectuals draw with crayons. At one time, transparent "puzzle glasses" stood in the enclosures, from which orangs could get their favorite treats - nuts and candied fruits with chopsticks. When the animals learned to cope with the task quickly, they dismantled the transverse partitions and began to use these "glasses" as places to rest, miraculously fitting into them. Then he got tired of it, and the male literally “blew” the “glass” into small pieces. Orangutans enjoy trying on human clothing, which employees give them from time to time. But blankets, or at least pieces of burlap, are in special demand - "forest people" are happy to wrap themselves in them during their holidays.
Feed orangutans, like other great apes, three to four times a day. The diet is very diverse: fruits (apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, pears, peaches), vegetables (potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs), cottage cheese, yogurt, cereals, chicken, eggs, various nuts. Monkeys drink, in addition to water, juices, tea and compote.

Both chimpanzees and orangutans are apes. And this means that: they are very smart, their forelimbs are much longer than their hind limbs, there are nails on all fingers and in terms of body structure they are more like humans than other primates.

There are 2 versions of the name of this primate - "orangutan" and "orangutan", but in the scientific world it is customary to use the first option. Previously, only one species of this animal was distinguished - an ordinary 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 the Bornean orangutan ( Pongo pygmaeus). The latter, in turn, is divided into 3 subspecies, the main difference between which lies only in the habitats on about. Borneo. The word "orangutan" is translated 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. In connection with the arboreal way of life, they even drink water from hollows, from leaves, or dip their shaggy paw in water and lick off what is left.

Females are easy to distinguish from males. They are much smaller. If orangutan males weigh about 60-90 kilograms and their height can reach 1.5 meters, then females grow no more than 1 meter in height and weigh only 30-50 kilograms. With a very massive physique, their hind limbs are short, but the front ones are very long. In scope, they can reach 2-2.5 meters.

male and female

Thanks to this structural feature, orangutans move very well through the trees. They do it slowly. But before moving to another branch, they check their strength. Good tenacity to the monkey is provided by the big toes, opposed to the rest of the fingers. 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 a sparse but long red-brown hairline. It darkens as the animal ages. In males, special growths of connective tissue and fat are located 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 its own territory, which is inhabited by several females. The latter treat each other quite calmly and even sometimes can 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 formidable growl and is accompanied by the breaking of branches. However, fights are usually 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 cubs, but more on that later.

With the onset of the evening, everyone together begins to prepare for bed. Preparation consists in 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 baby sleeps with the mother. Here they rest during the day.

Waking up early in the morning and stretching sweetly, they go to breakfast. Orangutans feed on leaves and fruits of trees. A special delicacy for them is the fruits of durian, resembling green balls with thorns. Having opened their shell, the monkeys begin to extract the white flesh with their fingers. In addition to leaves and fruits, they will also be happy to snack on insects, bird eggs or feast on honey, nuts and tree bark.

After a good breakfast or lunch, they have a rest time when the children begin to play, and adults lie peacefully in their nests.

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

With the onset of the mating season, males begin to attract their future chosen ones with a song that is a mixture of grunts and a vibrating roar. After 8.5 months, the female has 1, less often 2 cubs. They weigh only 1.5-2 kilograms. Almost immediately after birth, the cub clings to the wool on the mother's chest and begins to suck milk. Lactation continues up to 3-4 years.

Simultaneously with feeding with milk, the female begins to gradually accustom the cub to plant foods, placing well-chewed leaves on it. From the age of 4, a small orangutan already becomes independent, but still continues to live next to its mother until the age of 6-8.

Sexual maturity in females occurs at 8-12 years, in males - at 14-15 years. Orangutans can live up to 30 years in the wild, and even longer in captivity.

These monkeys became famous for their intelligence and ingenuity. They learn everything quickly. In zoos, they often adopt human habits. Some of them figured out to use various tools for getting food, for example, sticks. 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 orangutan cubs, but the female will never give up her child, so she is killed. At the moments of protection of their family, males can be a mortal danger for people or animals.

One case is known when in 1984 in the north of about. Borneo poachers were attacked by male orangutans after they started shooting at the female to take away her cub. Three poachers were beaten to death by animals. Even guns didn't save them.