Baby Orangutan Hand Puppet, Endangered Animal

The only great apes that live outside of Africa are orangutans, of which there are two species. The Sumatran orangutan is more endangered then the Bornean orangutan. The two differ in appearance and behavior, with Sumatran orangutans being slightly smaller and usually having hair that is lighter colored and orange-red, as well as a longer beard. Males develop throat pouches and fleshy pads on their cheeks but these are narrower and less pronounced than those of male Bornean orangutans.

The diet of Sumatran orangutans varies seasonally, depending on the fruiting season of trees in the local area, the animals feeding when the fruit is ripe. Figs are very important in their diet. When fruit is not so available in dry seasons, Sumatran orangutans will eat vegetation such as young leaves, bark and flowers, and insects, particularly termites, ants, and crickets, and sometimes eggs.

• These orangutans are highly intelligent animals and some populations on Sumatra have learnt how to use tools, and they pass on their knowledge through generations. They use sticks to probe in termite mounds for termites and to extract the seeds of the large Neesia fruit, avoiding its stinging hairs.
• Orangutans are known to watch villagers cross the local waterways in boats and then unfasten a boat themselves and ride across the river.
• Orangutans are the slowest breeders of all land mammals, reproducing every seven or eight years only.
• Orangutans have 32 teeth, the same as humans.
• Mosquitoes are pests for orangutans as they are for humans, and orangutans use branches to swish them away.
• When the sun is hot or it rains, an orangutan may hold a leafy branch over its head to avoid the heat or the rain.
• Baby orangutans cry when hungry, whimper when hurt and will smile at their mothers.

 Every year on August 19, the world celebrates International Orangutan Day. There’s no better time to celebrate all things related to the tree-dwelling animal. Here are some fun facts about orangutans you might not know about. 

1. There are Three Species of Orangutans

2. Orangutans Live Up to 60 years or More

3. Orangutans are the Largest Tree-Dwelling Mammals

4. Orangutans Have Signature Long Arms

5. Some Male Orangutans Develop Large Cheek Pads on their Faces

6. Orangutans are Astonishingly Intelligent Animals

7. Orangutans Have Incredibly Close Bonds With Their Mothers

8. Orangutans have Opposable Thumbs and Toes 

9. Orangutans are Critically Endangered