Untitled Document
 Have
you ever seen an orangutan? You have probably seen one at the
zoo. What did it look like? What color was its hair? They look like
monkeys and gorillas, but they are actually
different. They have long
reddish-brown hair. And they
are about 2/3 the size of a gorilla. They also have very long and
strong arms. So, do you think orangutans have tails like monkeys? If you
want to know the answer, keep reading! Well, sadly, these amazing animals are in danger. It means there
aren't many of them left in the world. So, what happened to them?
And how can we save them? To find out, follow
me to the jungle and meet our newest
furry friends!
Who Are They?
 Orangutans
live in tropical rain forests in
Southeast Asia on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
These lovely animals mostly live
in trees and swing from branch to branch using their
arms. The word orangutan means "man of the forest" in the
Malay language. Orangutans
have a large body, a thick neck, very long and strong
arms. But they have no tail. Orangutans live about 45~50 years.
What Do They Eat?
Orangutans eat both plants and animals. But they mostly eat plants.
They like to eat fruits, leaves, seeds and tree bark. They even eat
flowers! But their favorite food is fruit. They also eat insects and small animals
like birds. So, what do they drink? Surprisingly, orangutans
don't even have to leave their tree branches to drink. They drink
water that has collected in the holes between
tree branches!
Are They Smart?
Very! They have been known to use tools like humans. For example,
they use leaves as umbrellas to keep the rain from getting them wet.
They also use leaves as cups to help them drink water.
Are They in Danger?
 Yes! Sadly,
their biggest enemy is people. Their number
is decreasing very quickly. This is because people are destroying their habitat to make parks. Also,
some people catch baby orangutans and sell them as pets all around the world.
The UN (United Nations)국제연합 reported last Monday that 98 percent of
the forests in Indonesia will be destroyed by 2022. And many protected areas for orangutans
will be gone by 2012.
How Many Orangutans Are Left?
There are only about 7,000 orangutans left in Sumatra. And about 50,000
orangutans in all of Borneo. The number of Sumatran orangutans has
fallen 91 percent in the last century. If we don't protect
them, we can't seem them anymore in the world in the near future! So let's
protect the tropical rain forests and save our orangutan friends! |
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