Orangutan

Picture of orangutan hanging from a tree.

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The orangutan is almost extinct because of their lost of their habitat. There are two different species of orangutan, the Burneann and Sumatran, which are slightly different from each other. The word orangutan is Malay, meaning "Man of the world." The adult males grow to about five feet and weigh about 120 kilograms. The adult females grow to about four feet and weigh 45 kilograms. Orangutans eat bark, leaves, shoots, buds, and stems. Also they eat insects, like termites, minerals, rich soil, honey, and even stale eggs from nests in the trees. These animals are not very social at all. The female orangutans reach their sexual maturity at 9 to 12 years old and can be expected to give birth to three to four offspring in her lifetime. This happens about once every eight years on average. Their pregnancy lasts 260 to 270 days and a mother rears her infant on her own. Very rarely are twins born. The young are not fully weaned until they are three years old. The mother and her young may stay together for six years. They live to be between 35 to 50 years in the wild.

 

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