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Text and photos by
Nick Baker, unless
otherwise stated

 EcologyAsia 2010
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Orang Utan
   

Young adult at Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary, Sabah, Borneo.
 


Adult with baby in their canopy nest.  Photographed at Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Borneo.



Order : PRIMATES
Family : Pongidae
Species : Pongo pygmaeus

Height, male : 140 cm
Height, female : 120 cm
Tail length, : no tail
Weight, male : 50-100 kg
Weight, female : 30-50 kg

References : M2

One of Asia's most iconic species ... and one of the most endangered, the Orang Utan endears itself easily to us humans. Threatened by habitat loss and poaching this species is the most peaceful of the Great Apes.

Orang Utans feed mainly on forest fruits and young leaves. Adult males can reach a height of 1.4 metres, and their outstretched arms can measure up to 2.4 metres. Often solitary, this is the only primate which builds nests of small branches and twigs. Census studies of the Orang Utan often rely on counting these nests to gain a rough estimate of the population.

The Orang Utan is found only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, where there are estimated populations of around 15,000 and 9,000 respectively.