After an exciting weekend filled with Super Bowl parties, chicken wings and beer, it is time to get back to our regular scheduled programming. And for us at Wild Facts, that means we get to look at another interesting animal.  On this beautiful Monday, full of hope and optimism, we are going to study the Orangutan.  Does anyone know what “Orangutan” means?  Well, it is a Malay word which means “Person of the Forest”, which makes sense considering they are closely related to humans.

Orangutans are only found in Borneo and Sumatra and just happen to be the largest living arboreal animal.  The long arms of the Orangutan may be one of their most noticeable features (that and their orange hair).  In fact, their arms are so long that outstretched arms for a male Orangutan can measure 2 m (7′) in length (from fingertip to fingertip).  This is impressive considering their height is only about  1.5 m (5′).  Basically, this tells you that the ape’s arms are practically touching the ground when they are just standing around.

As mentioned, the Orangutan is the largest arboreal animal living on earth today.  Believe it or not they will spend about 90% of their time hanging out in the tree tops.  They have no problems sleeping in leafy-branch nests that can be found throughout the trees.  Even cooler is the fact that these primates will utilize the large leaves to protect themselves from rainstorms.  How about that, the Orangutan has invented an umbrella!

Unlike many other primates, the Orangutan tends to be more of a solitary creature.  This is especially true for the males who spend the majority of their lives by themselves.  To make sure they don’t end up in each others personal space the males will make rumbling and howling calls as they move about the forest.  The long howl can actually be heard up to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away.  I guess you would never have to worry about being surprised by an Orangutan.

Orangutan Fast Fact – Unfortunately, due to the isolated area and heavy reliance on forests, the Orangutan is considered to be endangered as a result of habitat destruction and hunting pressures.  If you would like to help then I recommend visiting the following websites:

http://www.orangutan.com/how-to-help/

http://www.orangutan.org/how-to-help

http://www.orangutan.ca/

As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities to help so don’t be shy.

Enjoy the rest of your Monday, folks.