Orangutan

Person of the forest

'Orangutan' means 'person of the forest' in Malay. This red-haired ape spends almost its whole life in the trees — its arms are longer than its legs. Orangutans are very clever: in the rain they hold a big leaf as an umbrella and use sticks to get honey. A baby stays with its mother for 8 years — the longest childhood of any animal!

The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is Asia's only great ape, living on the island of Borneo (other species live in Sumatra and Tapanuli). It is the largest tree-dwelling animal, with an arm span of 2.2 m. It shares 97% of its DNA with humans. It uses tools, builds a nest every night and has cultural traditions. Mothers teach their young for 7–8 years and give birth only once every 8 years — the slowest reproduction of any mammal. Deforestation for palm oil plantations wiped out more than 100,000 orangutans between 1999 and 2015; numbers have halved in 50 years.

Fun facts

• An orangutan's arm span is 2.2 m — far more than its height.
• A baby orangutan stays with its mother for 8 years — only humans take longer.
• Orangutans make umbrellas out of leaves when it rains.