10 Orang Utan Random Facts

Original : Here

1. Orang utan have long, powerful arms which they used to swing from tree to tree, like humans, they have opposable thumbs, which help them grasp things with their hands and feet. Their other recognisable features include a sloping forehead with bald patches, small, rounded ears and a short trunk and legs.
2. They move from tree to tree daily, making nest in which their sleeps from branches, twigs and leaves.
3. Male orang utans are tend to be loners and maintain a fair distance from each other. Other than a brief of  time spent for mating with females, their social interaction with other orang utan are limited. Sexually matured males can be distinguished from females by way their large throat sac, which is used to make a distinct bellowing groan, which is called a 'long call'. This groan warns other males to sat away while letting know females they're looking to mate. They also have a large pack of cheekpdas, which is though to enhance the volume of their long call within the forest.
4. The legs of an orang utan are about twice as short as their arms, and their fingers and toes curved, giving them a much stronger grip on branches. This also causes them to walk in the outside edges of  their feet rather than their soles. And because of their hip joints are connected differently, they are also are less restricted in their leg movement compared to humans.
5. Orang utans spend most of their time in trees, a trait that's referred to as 'arboreal'.
6. Mother orang utans very care for their young. Female orang utan can grow up to 4 feet 2 inches and weigh about 45 kg. Females tend to be sexually passive and wait for the male's 'long call' to her when it's time to mate.
7. Orang utans have distinctively rich, red or reddish brown coat of shaggy fur which helps them to blend in with the brown tree trunks and branches in the forest.
8. Baby orang utans whimper when their in pain, when they're hungry, squeal when they want their mother, and smile when they're happy. Legend has it that just like humans, orang utans are gifted the ability to speak but don't for fear of being put to work.
9. Young orang utans stay with their mothers until they reach 6 or 7 years of age. While females tend to stay close to their mothers and within a certain range of their mothers', young males leave to move far away to help minimise in-breeding.
10. Fruit, tree bark, young, tender leaves, honey, insects and vines are what orang utans eat. A favourite fruit of theirs : The rich, creamy durian. Some orang utans also eat soil, which contain minerals that are thought to counteract the large quantities of toxic tannins and acids in the food they eat.