The name orangutan means "man of the forest" in the Malay language.
In the lowland forests in which they reside, orangutans live solitary
existences. Adult male
orangutans can weigh up to 200 pounds. Flanged males have prominent
cheek pads called flanges and a throat sac used to make loud
verbalizations called long calls. An unflanged male looks like an adult
female. In a biological phenomenon unique among primates, an unflanged
male can change to a flanged male for reasons that are not yet fully
understood.The two species of orangutan, Bornean and Sumatran, differ a
little in appearance and behavior. While both have shaggy reddish fur,
Sumatran orangutans have longer facial hair. Sumatran orangutans are
reported to have closer social bonds than their Bornean cousins. Bornean
orangutans are more likely to descend from the trees to move around on
the ground. Both species have experienced sharp population declines. A
century ago there were probably more than 230,000 orangutans in total,
but the Bornean orangutan is now estimated to number about
They feast on wild fruits like lychees, mangosteens, and
figs, and slurp water from holes in trees. They make nests in trees of
vegetation to sleep at night and rest during the day.
