Orangutans (or orangutans, other names are mawas) are a kind of great ape with long arms and reddish or brown fur, which live in tropical forests of Indonesia and Malaysia, especially in Borneo and Sumatra
Description
The term "orang utan" is derived from the Malay word, ie 'person' which means man and 'utan' which means forest. Orangutans include two sub-species, namely Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) and orang utan kalimantan (borneo) (Pongo pygmaeus). What is unique is that orangutans have close kinship with humans at the level of kingdom animalia, where orangutans have a DNA equivalence of 96.4%
Characteristic features
They have large, fat bodies, large necks, long, strong arms, short, bent legs, and no tail.
Orangutans have a height of about 1.25-1.5 meters.
The orangutan body is covered in brownish red hair. They have large heads with high mouth positions.
Upon reaching the level of sexual maturity, male orangutans have a fat temple on both sides, large crowns, long hair and gray beard around the face. They have the same senses as humans, namely hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch.
The weight of male orangutans is about 50-90 kg, whereas female orangutans weigh about 30-50 kg.
The palms of their hands have 4 long fingers plus 1 thumb. The soles of their feet also have the arrangement of fingers that are very similar to humans.
Orangutans are still included in great ape species such as gorillas and chimpanzees. The great apes belong to the classification of mammals, having large brain size, forward-looking eyes, and hand grips.
Classification
Orangutans include vertebrate animals, which means that they have spine. Orangutans also include mammals and primates.
Species and Subspecies
1. There are 2 types of orangutan species, namely Bornean Orangutan / Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus) and Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii).
2. The descendants of Sumatran and Kalimantan Orangutans differ from 1.1 to 2.3 million years ago.
3. Subspecies
Genetic learning has identified 3 subspecies of Borneo Orangutan: P.p.pygmaeus, P.p.wurmbii, P.p.morio. Each subspecies differentiate according to its geographical distribution area and includes body size.
Orangutan Kalimantan Tengah (P.p.wurmbii) inhabits the area of West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. They are the largest subspecies of Borneo.
East Kalimantan Orangutan (P.p.morio) inhabits the Sabah and East Kalimantan regions. They are the smallest subspecies.
There are currently no known subspecies of the Bornean orangutan.
Location and habitat
The orangutans are found in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra in the Indonesian and Malaysian territories. They usually live in dense trees and make their nests from the foliage. Orangutans can live in various types forest, ranging from the forests of keruing, hills and lowlands, watersheds, freshwater swamp forest, peat swamps, dry land on mangrove swamps and nipah, to the mountain forests.
In Borneo, orangutans can be found at an altitude of 500 m above sea level (dpl), while their relatives in Sumatra are reported to reach mountain forests at an altitude of 1,000 m above sea level. Sumatran orangutans are one of the only endemic animals in Sumatra. Orangutans in Sumatra occupy only the northern part of the island, ranging from Timang Gajah, Central Aceh to Sitinjak in South Tapanuli. The existence of these mammals is protected by Law 5 of 1990 on Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and Ecosystems and classified as Critically Endangered by IUCN.
In Sumatra, one of the orangutan populations is located in the watershed (BAS) of Batang Toru, North Sumatra. The population of wild orangutans in Sumatra is estimated to be 7,300. In the Batang Toru Basin 380 tail with a density of about 0.47 to 0.82 pupils per square kilometer. The population of the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii lesson) is now estimated at 7,500. Whereas in the 1990s, an estimated 200,000 individuals. Their populations were found in 13 geographically dispersed areas they are increasingly threatened with extinction.
Currently almost all Sumatran Orangutans are found only in the province of North Sumatra and Aceh Province, with Lake Toba as the southernmost boundary of its distribution. Only 2 relatively small populations are in the southwest of the lake, the Sarulla East and the forests of Batang Toru Barat. The largest population of orangutans in Sumatra is found in Leuser West (2,508 individuals) and Eastern Leuser (1,052 individuals), and Singkil Swamp (1,500 individuals). Other populations that are estimated to potentially survive in the long term (viable) are located in Batang Toru , North Sumatra, with a size of about 400 individuals.
The orangutans in Borneo categorized as endangered by IUCN are divided into three subspecies: Orangutans in Borneo are grouped into three types of children, namely Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus located in the northern part of the Kapuas River to the northeast of Sarawak; Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii found from the south of the Kapuas River to the west of the Barito River; and Pongo pygmaeus morio. In Borneo, orangutans can be found in Sabah, Sarawak, and almost all Kalimantan lowland forests, except for South Kalimantan and Brunei Darussalam.
Food
Although orangutans belong to omnivorous animals, most of them eat only plants. 90% of the food is in the form of fruits. Foods include tree bark, foliage, flowers, some types of insects, and about 300 types of fruits.
In addition they also eat nectar, honey and mushrooms. They also love to eat durian, although the aroma is sharp, but they like it.
Orangutans do not even need to leave their trees if they want to drink. They usually drink water that has accumulated in the holes between branches.
Usually the orangutan parent teaches how to get food, how to get drinks, and various types of trees in different seasons. Through this, it can be seen that orangutans actually have a complex map of the location of the forest in their brains, so they do not waste their energy while looking for food. And his son can also know the various types of trees and plants, which are edible and how to process foods that are protected by sharp shells and spines.
Predators
The biggest predators of orangutans today are human. In addition to humans, orangutan predators are leopards, pigs, crocodiles, python snakes, and black eagles.
How to protect yourself
Orangutans include shy creatures. They rarely show themselves to people or other creatures that are unfamiliar.
Reproduction
Female orangutans usually give birth at the age of 7-10 years with the duration of the content ranging from 8.5 to 9 months; almost the same as humans. The number of babies born to a female is usually only one. Baby orangutans can live independently at the age of 6-7 years. The dependence of orangutans on their mothers is the longest of all animals, because there are many things that must be learned to survive, they are usually kept until the age of 6 years.
Orangutans breed longer than other primate animals, female orangutans only give birth to a child every 7-8 years. Age of orangutans in the wild for about 45 years, and throughout its life female orangutans have only 3 offspring for the rest of their lives. Where that means orangutan reproduction is very slow.
How to move
Orangutans can move quickly from tree to tree by swinging on branches of trees, or commonly called brachiating. They can also walk with both legs, but are rarely found. Orangutans can not swim.
Way of life
Unlike gorillas and chimpanzees, orangutans do not live in big flocks. They are semi-solitary animals. Male orangutans are usually found alone and female orangutans are usually accompanied by several children. Orangutans are arboreal animals, meaning they live or move on trees. This is in contrast to other great apes, such as gorillas and chimpanzees, which are terrestrial animals (living on land).
Some interesting facts
Orangutans can use the stick as a tool to take food, and use the leaves as a sun shield. The 6-year-old Sumatran orangutan living in the western swamp of the Alas Sumatera River uses a stick to detect honey but the behavior has never been found among orangutans in the eastern coastal areas. This shows the diversity of behavior in environmental adaptation.
The largest male orangutan has an arm stretch (length from one end of the hand to the other when both arms are stretched) to 2.3 m.
Male orangutans can make long-distance calls that can be heard within a 1 km radius. Used to mark / supervise the area, calling the female, preventing other malicious male orangutans. They have a large throat bag that makes them able to do it.
Population
Orangutans currently only exist in Sumatra and Kalimantan, in Southeast Asia. Since it is a dense forest, it is difficult to estimate the right population. In Borneo, the population of orangutans is estimated to be about 55,000 individuals. In Sumatra, the number is estimated to be about 200 individuals. This happens due to excessive land clearing
Threat
The greatest threat being experienced by orangutans is the increasingly narrow habitat because the rain forest area that became its residence used as palm oil, mining and trees felled for timber. Orangutans have lost 80% of their habitat area in less than 20 years. Not infrequently they are also injured and even killed by farmers and landowners because it is considered a pest. If a female orangutan is found with her child, then her mother will be killed and her son then sold in illegal animal trade. A rehabilitation center was established to treat a sick, wounded and lost parent. They are treated for the purpose of being returned to their natural habitat.
Land Opening and Plantation Conversion
In Sumatra, the population is only in the Leuser area, which covers 2.6 million hectares covering Aceh and North Sumatra. Leuser was declared one of the most important biodiversity areas and was designated as UNESCO's Tropical Rainforest Heritage Heritage in 2004. Its ecosystem combines Gunung Leuser National Park, but most of the Orangutans live outside protected areas, where forest area is reduced by 10-15% annually to serve as a logging area and as an agricultural area.
Indonesia is one of the countries experiencing the decline of the largest number of tropical forests in the world. There are no signs that indicate a decrease in deforestation rates. About 15 years ago, there were about 1.7 million hectares of forest that is continuously logged annually in Indonesia, and continued to grow in 2000 as much as 2 million hectares.
Illegal and illegal logging has had the impact of shrinking the number of forests in Sumatra. Forest clearance as a palm oil field in Sumatra and Kalimantan has also resulted in deforestation of millions of hectares, and all unprotected forestlands will experience the same thing later.
The deadly conflict that often happens in plantations is the time when Orangutans whose habitats are diminishing as forest clearing must find enough food to survive. These protected and endangered species are often seen as a threat to plantation profits because they are considered pests and must be killed.
Orangutans are usually killed as they enter plantation areas and damage crops. This often happens because orangutans can not find the food they need in the forest where they live
Illegal Trading
Theoretically, orangutans have been protected in Sumatra by legislation since 1931, which forbids possession, killing or capturing orangutans. But in practice, hunters still often hunt them, mostly for animal trade. In international law, orangutans are included in the Appendix I of the CITES (Trade on International Trade in Endangered Species) list which prohibits trade because of the conservation status of this species in the wild. However, there is still a lot of demand for baby orangutans, whether local, national and international requests to serve as pets. The orangutan's son relies heavily on his mother to survive and also in the process of development, to take the child from the orangutans then his mother must be killed. It is estimated that for every baby who survived the capture and transport represents the death of the adult female orangutan.
According to data from the WWF website, it is estimated there has been an import of orangutans named to Taiwan as many as 1000 tails that occurred between 1985 and 1990. For every orangutan arriving in Taiwan, then there are 3 to 5 other animals that die in the process.
The trafficking of orangutans is also reported in Kalimantan, where either the orangutans are dead or are still sold.
Conservation Status of Orang Utan
The Sumatran orangutan has been categorized as Critically Endangered in the IUCN list. The population declined dramatically where in 1994 the number reached more than 12,000, but in 2003 to about 7,300 birds. Data in 2008 reported that the estimated number of Sumatran Orangutans in the wild only lived around 6,500 heads.
Historically, orangutans have been found in forest areas across Sumatra, but are now limited only to the areas of North Sumatra and the province of Aceh. The suitable habitat for Orangutans currently only leaves less than 900,000 hectares on the island of Sumatra.
It is now estimated that orangutans will be the first major ape species to be extinct in the wild. The main cause is the loss of habitat and animal trade.
Orangutans are the basic species for conservation. Orangutans play an important role in forest regeneration through the fruits and seeds they eat. The disappearance of orangutans reflects the loss of hundreds of plant and animal species in the rainforest ecosystem.
The world's remaining primary forests are the basis of human well-being, and the key to healthy planet is biodiversity, saving orangutans helping mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, plants and other species living in the rainforest of Indonesia.
