Bornean Orangutan

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News: Wildfires in Kalimantan affected 60.2% of Bornean orangutan habitat, putting its food sources, nesting trees and habitat connectivity at risk.

About Bornean Orangutan

Bornean Orangutan
Source – WWF
  • The Bornean orangutan is a great ape that naturally occurs in Borneo.
  • Species Types: There are three recognized orangutan species – Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans.
  • Habitat and Distribution: The Bornean orangutan lives exclusively in the tropical lowland and montane rainforests on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. 
  • Characteristics:
    • Physical Features: It has darker skin and hair, very long arms, shorter legs and long, hook-like hands and feet.
    • Cheek Pads: Mature males develop large, fleshy cheek pads, which become more noticeable with age.
    • Arboreal Life: It is adapted to life in trees and uses semibrachiation to move through them.
      • Each night, it builds nests from branches and leaves, 40–60 feet above the ground.
    • Diet: It mainly eats fruit, and a large part of its day is spent foraging and eating.
    • Social Behaviour: It generally does not live in large social groups because its fruit-based diet requires it to search widely for food.
    • Territorial Behaviour: Adult males may avoid or show aggression towards other males entering their territory.
    • Intelligence: It shows remarkable cognitive skills, including memorisation, object recognition, problem-solving and occasional tool use.
  • Threats:
    • Wildfires
    • Habitat destruction
    • Poaching and illegal trafficking
  • Conservation Status
    • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
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