Untitled Document
 Orangutans
are native to Indonesia and Malaysia.
They are the largest tree-living mammals. They have long arms
and reddish-brown hair. Today,
they are found only in rainforests on the islands
of Borneo and Sumatra.
Their name came from the Malay and Indonesian word "orang hutan."
It means "person of the forest." Orangutans
are also known as the "red ape." Orangutans spend nearly all of their time
in the trees. They are great tree climbers. They move through
the trees in search of fruits. They
also sleep in trees.
Male orangutans weigh about 50~90 kilograms
and are about one meter tall. Female orangutans weigh about
30~50 kilograms and are about one meter tall. Orangutans eat mostly fruits. But they also
eat leaves, shoots, seeds and bark. Sometimes they eat
insects and bird eggs, too.
A female orangutan can have a baby when she becomes 9 years old. She
gives birth to a baby after 244 days. The baby is carried around by
its mother until it is about 18 months old. Females give birth to a baby every
8 years. In the wild, orangutans can live
45-50 years.
Sadly, orangutans are endangered.
This is because people are destroying their habitat by cutting down trees.
When people cut down the trees, orangutans
cannot find food. In 1900, there were about 315,000 orangutans in
Indonesia. Today, however, there are only about 7,000~9,000 orangutans
left in the world. |
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