Man of the forest: Orangutan

Female Orangutan Sumatra (Pongo abelii), Indonesia, Southeast Asia

The name orangutan (Pongo abelii, Pongo pygmaeus) means “man of the forest” in the Malay language. In the lowland forests in which they reside, orangutans live solitary existences. They feast on wild fruits like lychees, mangosteens, and figs, and slurp water from holes in trees. Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in…

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