Bornean orangutan

The Bornean orangutan is a large, red-haired ape that lives on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It makes its home in warm, leafy rainforests, from the low, steamy lowlands all the way up into the misty mountains. Orangutans have long, strong arms and shaggy reddish-brown fur.

Orangutans are wonderful climbers and spend most of their lives up in the trees. They are the biggest animals that live in the treetops, and they swing and reach from branch to branch with their long arms. Each evening they fold leafy branches into a soft nest and curl up to sleep high above the ground.

These apes love to eat, and they enjoy hundreds of different foods. Their favourite treats are ripe fruits like figs and sweet-smelling durians, and they also nibble seeds, flowers, leaves, and bark. When one kind of fruit is ripe, orangutans travel through the forest to find the trees that are full of it.

Orangutans are very smart and like to be on their own. A mother and her baby often stay together for years, and she gently teaches her little one how to climb, find food, and build a nest. Orangutans can learn to use simple tools, such as a stick to reach a tasty snack.

There are fewer orangutans than there used to be, because much of their forest home has been cut down. Many caring people are planting trees, protecting the rainforest, and looking after young orangutans so that these clever apes have a safe place to swing and grow.