All About Orangutans

Last month on Tuesday, August 19 we celebrated International Orangutan Day – this is the perfect time to learn more about (and raise awareness for) an extremely rare, inquisitive and intelligent great ape, the orangutan!

Hello, my name is Miss Sara and in this blog, I will provide many fascinating and educational facts about orangutans, including a chart which illustrates the body of an orangutan and how it is perfectly adapted for jungle and tree life. Next there will be a few websites linked which detail the newest and most endangered species of orangutan, the Tapanuli Orangutan, as well as a detailed animal fact page (all about orangutans) and a link to Smithsonian National Zoo’s Orangutan page. Also highlighted is one of our main CCPL children’s databases, National Geographic Kids, and some entertaining and educational children’s resources from our CCPL catalog.

Important Resources:

Fascinating and educational facts about orangutans (facts pulled from various website sources, which are cited and linked below):

The name orangutan comes from two Malay words, orang which means person, and hutan which means forest; so orangutan means person of the forest.
Orangutans are known for being very smart. They are among the most intelligent non-human primates. Studies show they can solve some tricky problems. For example, they can figure out where an object is even if they can’t see it.
They spend most of their lives high up in the trees. Orangutans are not comfortable on the ground since they have to push themselves along with their fists. Large adult orangutans move carefully through the trees, using their flexible feet to hold onto tree branches.
The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls posture and movement. Apes have larger cerebellums than humans, a trait that probably reflects the demands of an arboreal, tree-dwelling lifestyle.
An orangutan’s diet is mostly made up of fruit. They especially love ripe fruit. If they cannot find fruit, they will eat bark, leaves, and termites. They prefer to eat these things rather than move to a new place to find food. About 60% of what an orangutan eats is fruit. About 25% is leaves, and 10% is bark and flowers. The remaining 5% is termites and other insects.
In addition to eating, orangutans will carry large objects in their mouths while keeping their hands and feet free for traveling. Orangutans have powerful jaws capable of cracking, crushing, and chewing fibrous foods such as fruit with spiny coverings, nuts, and tree bark. Orangutans use their lips to detect food textures before biting into them and to exaggerate facial expressions used in communication.
Both the Sumatran species (Pongo abelii),Tapanuli species (Pongo tapanuliensis) and the Bornean species (Pongo pygmaeus) are classified as Critically Endangered according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Orangutans have 32 teeth, the same number as humans.
A female orangutan is pregnant for about 230 to 260 days. She usually gives birth to one baby, but sometimes two. This happens every eight to nine years. The young orangutans stay with their mother for many years. They ride on her back and learn how to move through the forest. Just like human babies, young orangutans love to play and are very loving. When they are five or six years old, they start to become more independent. Eventually, they go off to live on their own.
Orangutans have forward facing eyes rather than one on each side of their head. This provides binocular vision because each eye’s field of vision overlaps creating a three dimensional image. Binocular vision enables them to accurately assess distances and depth which is extremely useful for maneuvering within their complex environment. They extensively rely on their keen eyesight and color vision. Color vision helps them detect ripe fruits and vegetation. They have a skeletal structure, called a postorbital closure, which forms a bony cup around each eye. The closure helps protect their foremost sense—vision.

Website Sources:

Orangutan Facts for Kids | Kiddle
Orangutan Facts | The Orangutan Project
All About Orangutans – Senses | United Parks & Resorts
All About Orangutans – Physical Characteristics | United Parks & Resorts

Below is a chart from ‘How It Works’ magazine, illustrating the body of an orangutan and how it is perfectly adapted for jungle and tree life:

Chart (Image) Source:

Orangutans are Built For the Jungle | How It Works

Below is an article from Today Online about the newest and most rare orangutan species, the Tapanuli orangutan:

Newly Discovered Orangutan Species Is Most Endangered Great Ape | Today Online

Below is a detailed animal fact page from SeaWorld.org, with clickable links to all different facets of the orangutan – such as their habitat, behavior, reproduction, diet and so much more:

ORANGUTANS: Investigate Orangutans And Discover The Facts About These Delightful Yet Endangered Primates

Below is a link to Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC. The link will take you to the page specifically devoted to orangutans, so you can learn much more about these beautiful and special animals. There is also a “Meet The Animals” page where you can meet their six orangutans! If you would like to see their orangutans in person, visiting hours (and zoo directions) can be found on their website.

Smithsonian National Zoo: Orangutans

Additional Resources

Click on the link below to explore our children’s database, and search for all things orangutans:

National Geographic Kids

Engage kids and young students to broaden their educational horizons with reputable, special, authoritative, and age-appropriate digital content that brings them the world in a way they have never seen before. National Geographic Kids will take them on amazing adventures in science, nature, wildlife, culture, geography, archaeology, and space.

*CCPL Staff picks are chosen by CCPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We’d love to hear your ideas too, so write to us and tell us what you’d recommend!*

*All book cover photos are from Goodreads/all title descriptions are from the CCPL COSMOS website.

You may also check out our CCPL catalog for both entertaining and educational children’s resources on orangutans and orangutan rescue and conservation efforts, such as:

Wild Baby by Cori Doerrfeld

As her baby goes on a mad dash through the jungle, it’s up to mama to make sure the curious little orangutan doesn’t get into too much trouble–like dancing on a bear, bouncing on an elephant, or even pulling on a leopard’s tail. But when you have a wild baby, life is full of surprises!