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| Orangutan
Endangered
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Pongo pygmaeus Pongo abelii |
The Orangutan (also spelt Orang Utan, Orang-utan, sometimes incorrectly orangutang) is a great ape with long arms and reddish, sometimes brown, hair native to Malaysia and Indonesia. Orangutan is derived from the Malay Orang Hutan meaning man of the forest. They are the only extant species in the genus Pongo and the subfmaily Ponginae, although that subfamily also includes the extinct Gigantopithecus species.
Orangutans are the most arboreal of the great apes, spending nearly all of their time in the trees. They are only found in rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. These two small isolated populations were classified as subspecies until recently, when they were elevated to the specific level (Pongo pygmaeus on Borneo, and P. abelii on Sumatra). Furthermore, primatologists now recognise three subspecies of the Bornean orangutan: P. p. pygmaeus in northwest Borneo, P. p. morio in northeast and east Borneo, and P. p. wurmbii in southwest Borneo.
Orangutans are highly endangered in the wild. Orangutan habitat destruction due to logging, mining and forest fires has been increasing rapidly in the last decade. Much of this activity is illegal, occurring in national parks that are officially off limits to loggers, miners and plantation development. There is also a major problem with the illegal trapping of baby Orangutans for sale into the pet trade; the trappers usually kill the mother to steal the baby.
Like the other great apes, Orangutans are remarkably intelligent. In the mid- 1990s, one population of Orangutans was found to use feeding tools regularly. Evidence of this had been earlier discovered among chimpanzees by Jane GoodallJane Goodall (born 3rd April 1934, London) is a British primatologist, ethologist and anthropologist conducting a forty-year study of chimpanzee social and family life in Gombe Streams National Park in the African nation of Tanzania. She was instrumental in the 1960sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around. A 20032003 is a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar), and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Summary Perhaps the defining global event of the year 2003 was the Invasion of Iraq launched by the U paper in the journal Science described the evidence for distinct Orangutan cultures (see external link 1 below for more details). Orangutans are generally among the least aggressive among the apes, being friendly animals. Particularly notable is that wild Orangutans are known to visit human-run facilities for orphaned young Orangutans released from illegal captivity, interacting with the orphans and probably helping them adapt in their return to living in the wild.
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