Orangutans are a special type of pr

Orangutans are a special type of primate called a great ape. Orangutans, sometimes just called orangs, are the largest arborealmammals and are quite intelligent. They have orange-brown fur, large heads, and sturdy bodies. They have long arms, short bowed legs, and no tails. Their hands are similar to human hands with four long fingers and a thumb. Orangutans walk on legs and arms but are able to stand and walk short distances on two legs. Orangutans live in the tropical rainforests of Asia. One species of orangutan lives on the island of Borneo. The other species lives on Sumatra. Both orangutan species are endangered.

A crisist exist for the orang utans. Orang utans are threatened by habitat destruction as people cut down trees for timber. Today, the survive only in the rainforest in Borneo and Sumatera Island. Their home is shared by many other endangered species such as tigers and rhinos. This forest is crossed by large rivers. Now, even their habitat on the remaining two islands threatened the loss of habitat is also the result of man's greed. The trade in baby orang utans continues to thrive today. Hundreds of infant oran utans are taken from the wild for the pet trade ecery year. This is done by killing the mother and taking the baby. When adult females are killed the babies can be sell and the skulls of the dead may used to create souvenirs that are sold illegally throughout Kalimantan.

It is estimate that 4 until 5 orang utans die for every baby reaching the market. They can die as a result of the trauma of seeing their mother killed. They can also die due to the poor condition in which they are kept following the capture.
Orangutans are characterized by rough, long, reddish-brown fur. Male orangutans are about 95 cm (37 in) in length and about 77 kg (170 lb) in weight. Females are smaller, reaching about 78 cm (31 in) in height and weighing only about 37 kg (81 lb). The male has puffy cheeks and a hanging throat-pouch. This pouch contains air sacks that help produce a groaning, bubbling call, which can be heard at least 1 km (0.6 mi) away.

Half of the orangutan’s diet consists of fruit, but they also eat young leaves, soft inner bark, termites, eggs, and occasionally monkeys.