Orangutan

hide

Pongo pygmaeus Pongo abelii

The orangutans are two species of great apes. Known for their intelligence, they live in trees and are the largest living arboreal animal. They have longer arms than other great apes, and their hair is typically reddish-brown, instead of the brown or black hair typical of other great apes. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, they are currently found only in rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, though fossils have been found in Java, the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Vietnam and China. There are only two surviving species in the genus Pongo and the subfamily Ponginae, which includes the extinct genera Gigantopithecus and Sivapithecus.

For more information about Orangutan, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with orangutans

results timeline


Primate archaeology, proposal of a new research field

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Jul 16, 2009 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

The use of tools by hominins - the primate group which includes humans (Homo) and chimpanzees and bonobos (Pan) - has been extensively researched by archaeologists and primatologists, both of who manifest the relevance of ...


A group of orphaned Orangutans sit in a cage at the Wanariset Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

Humans related to orangutans, not chimps

Biology / Evolution

created Jun 18, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (22) | comments 13

New evidence underscores the theory of human origin that suggests humans most likely share a common ancestor with orangutans, according to research from the University of Pittsburgh and the Buffalo Museum of ...


Illegal trade devastates Sumatran orangutan population, report says

Biology / Ecology

created Apr 17, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Lack of law enforcement against illegal trade in Indonesia threatens the survival of orangutans and gibbons on Sumatra, a new study by the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC shows.


Evolutionary link to modern-day obesity, other problems

Biology /

created Feb 12, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- That irresistible craving for a cheeseburger has its roots in the dramatic growth of the human brain and body that resulted from environmental changes some 2 million years ago.


Whistling Orangutan

Orangutan's spontaneous whistling opens new chapter in study of evolution of speech

Biology /

created Dec 11, 2008 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (24) | comments 6

Throughout history, human beings have used the whistle for everything from hailing a cab to carrying a tune. Now, an orangutan's spontaneous whistling is providing scientists at Great Ape Trust of Iowa new ...