Orangutan

Orangutans are red haired mammals. They’re the largest of animals living atop trees with strong long limbs for adaptation to their habitat. 

“Orangutan” in Malay language translates to “man of the forest.”They are concentrated in lowland forests in Southeast Asia. 

Orangutans are mainly herbivores and live a solitary life.

They’re very intelligent and share about 96.4% of human gene. They sleep at night and rest during the day in their orangutan-made nests high up in the trees, most likely this is why they’re so weighty 🤓

Males have prominent cheek pads (flanges) and have a throat sac which give them the ability to make loud sounds.

But,

Orangutans are critically endangered.

The two major species are the Bornean and Sumatran Orangutan. They belong to the family of the great apes.

Orangutans act an important part in seed dispersal in tropical forest they inhabit, they’re therefore called “gardeners” of the forest.

Their low reproductive rate contributes to their decline because before they recover with a new infant after 3-5 years, deforestation keeps taking place. They’re being hunted easily for food or revenge when they destroy crops.

They destroy crops when there’s no food for them in the forests. Female with offspring are prime targets. Their young are traded as pets.

There’s applaudable efforts by the world wildlife to tackle wild life trade and conserve endangered species.