2007-04-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

As we all know, orangutans are at the moment only found in rainforests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The populations in these 2 islands are seperated into 2 distinct species, the Bornean Orangutan and the Sumatran Orangutan. The Bornean and Sumatran orangutan species diverged 1.5 - 1.7 million years ago. This occurred well before the two islands Borneo and Sumatra separated.Our team are here today to elaborate more on these two species.

The Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean orangutan is found only on the islands of Borneo. These Bornean orangutans, otherwise known as pongo pygmaeus, consist of 3 sub-species which are the pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus (northwest populations), pongo pygmaeus morio (northeast and east populations) and the pongo pygmaeus wurmbii (southwest populations).

The size of a Bornean orangutan is slightly larger compared to a Sumatran orangutan. It is also more commonly seen than Sumatran orangutans in the wild with an average of 45 000 Bornean orangutans existing while only an average of 7 000 sumatran orangutans existing.

Bornean orangutans are generally more solitary compared to the behavior of the Sumatran orangutan.Two or three orangs that have overlapping territories may interact for small periods of time.The Bornean Orangutan also travels on the ground more than its Sumatran counterparts. It is theorized this may be in part because there is no need to avoid the large predators which only exist in Sumatra such as the Sumatran tiger.

The Sumatran Orangutan

The Sumatran orangutan, also known as the pongo abelii, can be found in Sumatra located on the island of Indonesia. These species of orangutans only inhabit the north of Lake Toba, in Bukit Lawang, Gunung Leuser National Park.

The sumatran orangutans are smaller than the Bornean orangutan. The male sumatran orangutans can grow up to 4.6 feet tall and 150 pounds in weight, whereas the females are much smaller.

The majority of males are very territorial towards other males. The species are more dependent on fruits than the Bornean orangutans. These species moves through the trees by brachiation, means to move by swinging with the arms from one hold to another.

* pictures courtesy of Google Images
* information thanks to Wikipedia

2007-04-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Reflection

1. What I Have Learnt

Throughout this assignment, I have learnt many interesting and unknown facts about the orangutans. So far I know that there are 2 main types of orangutans, the Borneons and Sumatrans. These species of animals are endangered and prevention of extinction must be done.

2. What I Question

Why do orangutans live in big groups? - [10/07/07]

-courtesy of Google images

What Are The Species Of Orangutans