Orangutan

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Pongo pygmaeus 
Endangered 

     The name of this homely creature is orangutan, and means “wild man” in Malay. They are heavy-bodied, thick-necked anthropoid apes, native to the swampy coastal forests of Sumatra and Borneo. They have bowed legs and very long arms, sometimes with a span of 2.3 m. Their huge bellies and sparse coat of shaggy red hair make them particularly distinctive. Orangutans are about two thirds the size of gorillas and very powerful. 
     In trees, they swing, Tarzan-like, in great flying leaps. On the ground they walk on all fours, but not easily, as their short legs are weak and they lack a heel bone. Orangutans are herbivorous. They grow to about 1.6 m in height and weigh about 100 kg. They spend most of their time in the tree-tops, constructing sleeping platforms of leaves and branches, much like a gorilla does. 
     Today the greatest threat to this species is habitat destruction and disruption. Rain forest is rapidly being logged and cleared for agricultural development and mining, leaving only patches of suitable habitat. The orangutan is very sensitive to human intrusion, and as a consequence, suffers a further reduction to their already low rate of reproduction. To have any hope of saving this species, it is imperative that we preserve their remaining habitat and carefully manage existing reserves.