a male orang utan
Male orang utan

In Malay, orang utan means 'person of the forest'. The orang utan is a Great Ape with long red-brown hair, and is the largest of the tree-dwelling animals. Their diet consists of fruit, leaves and insects. The male stands at 1.25 m, and can weigh up to 110 kg although the female is considerably smaller, and weighs only 35-40 kg. Dominant males also develop large cheek pads and a throat sac which is inflated during calling.

 a female orang utan
Female orang utan

Orang utans are slow moving, gentle, solitary creatures. Females produce one offspring every 8 to 9 years. The babies are totally dependant on the mother for two years, after which they begin to learn survival skills. They live with other orangutans until age 15, at which point they become solitary.

The species rarely descends from the trees, and, with its long arms, is well-adapted for swinging from branch to branch. Orang utans sleep in nests of leaves and branches, and each orang constructs a new nest in the treetops every night.