perth zoo | perth zoo - sumatran orangutan · 2019-04-05 · orangutans have a coarse, shaggy...

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Sumatran Orangutan Fast Facts DID YOU KNOW? Orangutan is the Indonesian word for ‘Person of the Forest’. Description Orangutans have a coarse, shaggy reddish coat. Males look very different to females. An adult male is larger and has a throat pouch and flanges (cheek pads) on either side of its face. Orangutans have very long arms that can stretch as far as 2.6 m. Their hands and feet are used for grasping. Diet Orangutans are omnivores. Fruits are their favourite food but they also eat other parts of plants, as well as honey, lizards, termites, birds and eggs. Breeding Females usually give birth after 12–15 years of age and the interval between births is an average of nine years. The young suckle for five to six years. Females may stay with their mum a further six years to learn valuable mothering skills. Males leave their mother at about six years of age and travel large distances to set up their own territory. Females tend to stay in the same area as their mother when they mature. Threats Around 80% of orangutan habitat has been lost to logging and permanent agricultural conversion, in particular for oil palm plantations. Orangutans are also shot for taking food from the plantations and poached for the illegal pet trade. There are believed to be fewer than 6,300 Sumatran Orangutans left in the wild. At Perth Zoo Perth Zoo has bred 29 orangutans since 1970 as part of an Australasian breeding program. Perth Zoo also directly supports the conservation of the Sumatran Orangutan in the protected Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia. Projects we support include the reintroduction of orangutans into Bukit Tigapuluh, Wildlife Protection Units, habitat and wildlife monitoring, and community education and development. You can learn more on our website. The Sumatran Orangutan exhibit is proudly sponsored by Alinta Energy. Scientific Name: Pongo abelii Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Body Length: 110–150 cm Weight: 48–93 kg Gestation: 232–267 days Number of young: 1 Habitat: Rainforests Distribution: Small parts of Sumatra, Indonesia Distribution EX EW EN NT LC Extinct Least Concern Threatened CR VU

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Page 1: Perth Zoo | Perth Zoo - Sumatran Orangutan · 2019-04-05 · Orangutans have a coarse, shaggy reddish coat. Males look very different to females. An adult male is larger and has a

Sumatran Orangutan

Fast Facts

DID YOU KNOW? Orangutan is the Indonesian word for ‘Person of the Forest’.

DescriptionOrangutans have a coarse, shaggy reddish coat. Males look very different to females. An adult male is larger and has a throat pouch and flanges (cheekpads) on either side of its face. Orangutans have very long arms that canstretch as far as 2.6 m. Their hands and feet are used for grasping.

DietOrangutans are omnivores. Fruits are their favourite food but they also eat otherparts of plants, as well as honey, lizards, termites, birds and eggs.

BreedingFemales usually give birth after 12–15 years of age and the interval betweenbirths is an average of nine years.

The young suckle for five to six years. Females may stay with their mum a further six years to learn valuable mothering skills. Males leave their mother atabout six years of age and travel large distances to set up their own territory.Females tend to stay in the same area as their mother when they mature.

ThreatsAround 80% of orangutan habitat has been lost to logging and permanent agricultural conversion, in particular for oil palm plantations. Orangutans arealso shot for taking food from the plantations and poached for the illegal pettrade. There are believed to be fewer than 6,300 Sumatran Orangutans left inthe wild.

At Perth ZooPerth Zoo has bred 29 orangutans since 1970 as part of an Australasianbreeding program. Perth Zoo also directly supports the conservation of theSumatran Orangutan in the protected Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem in Sumatra,Indonesia. Projects we support include the reintroduction of orangutans intoBukit Tigapuluh, Wildlife Protection Units, habitat and wildlife monitoring, andcommunity education and development. You can learn more on our website.

The Sumatran Orangutan exhibit is proudly sponsored by Alinta Energy.

Scientific Name: Pongo abelii

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered

Body Length: 110–150 cm

Weight: 48–93 kg

Gestation: 232–267 days

Number of young: 1

Habitat: Rainforests

Distribution: Small parts of Sumatra, Indonesia

Distribution

EX EW EN NT LC

Extinct Least ConcernThreatened

CR VU