Orangutans :: essays research papers

orangs     In Malay orang means "person" and utan is defined as "forest. ThusOrangutan literally means "Person of the Forest". Orangutans are found in thetropical forests of Sumatra and Borneo. They are the most arboreal of the greatapes and move amongst the safeguard of the trees from one feeding site to the next.They are so well able to arboreal life that they cannot place their feet onthe ground, instead they walk on the outside of their make outd foot.     There is a scattered population of orang in Indonesian Borneo,Malaysia Borneo and northern Sumatra. The different habitats present isolated the orangutang reproductively and geographically from one another creating a "degreeof difference" or ii subspecies. There are several different characteristicsbetween the two subspecies of orangutans and it has recently been suggested thatthey may be a separate species. The Borneo manlike has relatively crowing che ekpads, a tremendous laryngeal poke and a square shaped face. The Sumatran manlikehas small pads and laryngeal sac, a ginger coloured moustache, a pronouncedbeard, and a diamond shaped face. Individuals can also be distinguishedchromosomally, biochemically, and by their cranial characteristics.     There is a great deal of individual variety in the orangutan. "Eachorang-utan had a distinct personality and in dealing with such(prenominal) highlyintelligent animals in captivity, the keepers knowledge of the individual wasprobably much important than the knowledge of the overall behaviour patterns "(Markham, 1980). Orangutan males, however, appear to be totally intolerant ofone another, especially the Borneo males who are even high-pressure towards femalesand infants. Male orangutans participation in social groups is limited tosexual "consortship" with females. However, the Sumatran males tend to stay withfemales for a longer period of time norm ally until the birth of the infant.They may stay longer with their partner because of the presence of largepredators absent in the Borneo habitat. The orangutan has a menstrual cycle of29-30 days, point lasting 3-4 days. The Gestation period lasts slightlyless than nine months. return pass through three stages, infancy (0-4),juvenile (4-7), and adolescents (7-10). Mother two-year-old relationship lasts for along time, the young usually stay with their have until they are mature.Female Orangutans are not sexually mature or fully grown until the age of twelveand will not have their first offspring until they are at least fourteen. Malesbecome sexually mature and fully grown at the age of fifteen. The cheek flangesof the male easily recognize the differences between adults and semi-adults. Theflanges in the Boreal male curve out ward from the face and develop around the