Who is the orangutans predator

Young females stay in forest contingent to that of their mother and they stay with her even as she has a new infant, learning from her how to be a mother. Even though they reach puberty at about 8 years old, a female isn't physiologically ready to have her own baby until she's in her teens. Their diet consists of bark, leaves, flowers, a variety of insects, and most importantly, several hundred types of fruit. They can eat fruit which we would consider unripe, giving them an advantage over other fruits eaters.

Babies need to learn to recognize hundreds of species of plants and trees — which ones are edible, and how to consume them, which ones to avoid. Some orangutan favorites are very difficult to eat because they are protected by sharp spines, husks and shells. Young orangutans need to be taught how to extract the fruit.

Orangutans can be said to have 4 hands, as they are equally capable with both their hands and feet. They are physically built for life in the trees. Walking on the ground can be somewhat slow and awkward for them. It may appear humorous to us, but imagine how we would look trying to get around in the trees. They are at a great disadvantage on the ground, so they rarely come down from the treetops.

Predators — including humans — are on the ground. In essence, everything they need to live is up there, so why come down? Sexually mature males have a large throat sac, which is used to make a very distinct sound: known as the 'long call'. Sort of like a lion's roar, this bellowing groan echoes through the forest and is used by males to let females know they are there or warn other males to keep away.

Mature males also have a distinct set of large cheekpads, which are believed to help their long call resonate throughout the forest canopy. Orangutans make their home high up in the trees and build new nests each night out of leaves and branches. Males live solitary lives until they find females who are ready to mate.

The couples stay together for several days in order to ensure a successful mating. Afterwards, the males disappear back into their solitude. Due to their large size, males are often too heavy to travel in the higher thinner branches. They are also more likely than females to travel on the ground. Food is often scarce during the dry season — which is why orangutans are semi-solitary creatures. When food is abundant, though, they use the opportunity to socialize and gather in small groups.

When food is scarce, they travel alone. Orangutans have been known to make and use tools. When water is difficult to locate, they chew leaves to make a sponge to soak up water in tree cavities.

They use branches to poke into termite holes. They use large branches to test water depth before crossing streams. When it rains very hard the orangutan makes an umbrella for himself out of big leaves. The main threats: destruction of the rainforest due mainly to encroaching palm oil plantations, illegal logging, fires, poaching and, in the case of the Tapanuli , a dam.

Borneo is divided between three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. It is the worlds third largest island with a surface area of roughly , square miles. The human population in Borneo: more than 15 million. The orangutans used to live spread out over South East Asia all the way to what is now southern China. Register or Log In. The Magazine Shop. Login Register Stay Curious Subscribe. Planet Earth. Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news. Sign Up.

Already a subscriber? Want more? Although the apes get lots of water from the fruits and other vegetation they eat, they drink water, too. They lick water from tree hollows, wet plants, and even from the fur on their arms. At the San Diego Zoo, the orangutans are offered cabbage, romaine lettuce, kale, carrots, yams, broccoli, bananas, apples, oranges, and grapes. Other tidbits might include papaya, corn, turnip, onion, popcorn, raisins, peanut butter, and walnuts.

The orangutan's motto is: food should never be boring! Orangutans have large home ranges , which may overlap. Each adult female usually lives in a stable home range of about 3. Males tend to be more nomadic, visiting female ranges as needed. When males are fighting, they charge at each other and break branches.

All other apes and monkeys live in social groups, but orangutans are a little different. Experts used to think they were solitary, but recent studies tell us more. On Sumatra, small groups or pairs of adolescents, a few adult females, or even a small group of non-cheek-padded males may travel together for a few days at a time. Sometimes several mothers and their young feed peacefully together while their youngsters play.

These guys remain alone unless breeding with a female or fighting with another male. Orangutans have the slowest breeding rate of all mammals. They reproduce only every seven or eight years, the longest interval of all land mammals.

Orangutan females usually have their first baby at age 12 to 15, which is late compared to other mammals. Newborns have pink faces that change to dark brown or black as they age, and look adorable, with tufts of hair that stand straight up. Like most mammal offspring, young orangutans are much more active than their parents. They are also more social and enjoy interacting and playing with other orangutan youngsters.

Young orangutans may nurse for up to seven years. They must learn all the lessons of finding fruit, building night nests, and other survival techniques before they set off on their own.

Fruit trees are spread out over the rainforests where orangutans live, flowering and fruiting at different times. The youngsters learn a mental map of the forest layout and where ripe fruit is likely to be at any given time.

Orangutans make at least 32 different vocalizations. Mothers warn their babies to stay close by making a soft, scraping sound. Orangutans communicate play, submission, aggression, fear, and worry through touch, facial expressions, and gestures. Ever-fascinating orangutans have been delighting San Diego Zoo guests since He would unscrew bolts with his fingers, reach around to unlatch things, climb up a steep incline by the back of his habitat to slip over a wall, and so on.

Every time wildlife care specialists figured out one of his escape routes, he would discover a new one. He never seemed to mind being led back into his enclosure—he just seemed to enjoy the challenge of finding a new way out! Ken Allen became a San Diego Zoo legend, with his own fan club and T-shirts, bumper stickers, and songs created in his honor.