The orang-outang (or orang-outang ) ( Pongo pygmaeus ) is a Singe anthropoïde with the long arms and russet-red peeling, sometimes brown, classified in the category of the large monkeys.
Origin and genetics
The orangs-outans interest much the geneticists and the biologists who study the human evolution, because they are generally regarded as humanoïdes among closest to the Man, but with a genetic Diversité (cf broad polymorphism of genes according to Warren & Al 2001; Zhang & Ryder 2001)) richer (not of trace of “genetic neck” in the genetic indices of the history of its evolution, whereas it is the case for the African Man or monkeys such as Chimpanzé or Gorille).La size of the Genetic inheritance of the two subspecies of Orang-outang is comparable with that of human genetic inheritance. The date of its divergence of with the human line is estimated at 12-14 million years, which places it as a species at a median point in the evolution of the primates (which would have started to diverge from with the human lines 25 million years ago (according to Chen and Li 2001; Goodman 1999), and the Caryotype of the orang-outang is closest to the humanoïde ancestor common to the Man and the large monkeys. They would have 98,5% of common DNA with us.
They are originating in Malaysia and Indonesia. The name “orang-outang” comes from the Malayan orang hutan meaning “man of the forest”. It is also written “orang-outang”.
Description
The orangs-outans are among most arboricolous of the large monkeys. They pass the major part of their time in the Arbre S, and manufacture each night a new nest there below. The male adults measure approximately 1,4 m and weigh up to 82 kg. Their surface of distribution is now reduced to the rain Forêt of the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
- Size: 1,10 to 1,40 m
- Weight: 40 to 90 kg
- Longevity: 30 to 40 years
- Gestation: 245 days
Young people the orang-outang travel hung to the back or the belly of their mother during more than two years. The animal nourishes most of the time fruits, starts-up, of bark, the small vertebrate ones, eggs of birds and insects. Its day is devoted to seek food and each night the animal builds a new nest perched between 12 and 18 meters above the ground. Its life expectancy in nature approaches the 35 years.
Behavior and intelligence
Like the others large monkeys, the orangs-outans are remarkably intelligent.In the middle of the years 1990, a population of orangs-outans was observed regularly using tools to feed.
Cela had already been shown before at Chimpanzé S by Jane Goodall in the years 1960. An article going back to 2003 published in the newspaper Science under the feather of Michelle Merrill and Birute Galdikas describes evidence of a culture at the orangs-outans.
Une more recent study to 5 orang-outans female of 7,11 led researchers to present, 17 and 32 years (coming from a local zoo) a gross Cacahuète floating in water, in a long transparent vertical test-tube fixed at a wall. The water level was too low so that the monkeys can catch peanut with their fingers. One récipent of water was placed at their disposal in the part. The orang-outans quickly understood that in there fascinating of water in their mouth, for the recracher in the test-tube, they would make assemble the level of water and could catch peanut and to eat it. It was necessary 9 minutes on average so that they do it, and with the 10th experiment 30 seconds were enough for them to catch and eat the “ delicacy ”. No other method made it possible to recover and eat peanut.
Sociability : The male adults are solitary most of their life but communicate by powerful cries (perceptible to at least 1 km) to mark their territory and to call the females supposes one (the cry is audible to 1 km). The females are less solitary since they accompany their small until the 3 years age and half approximately. They give an great attention to the young person and the births (only one small) are rare (an every 8 years). The male is sexually mature only between 7 and 10 ans.
Aggressiveness: Although the orangs-outans are generally passive, the aggressions between orangs-outans are current; in fact solitary animals can be savagely territorial. The mature males not try to couple themselves with any females, and can carry out of force of the copulations if they are they also immature and not enough strong to avoid the advances. On the contrary, the mature females divert the young applicants easily, preferring to couple itself with the mature males. The wild orangs-outans are known for their visits of the human installations of collection of the given up young people orangs-outans, communicating with them and perhaps thus helping their return to the wild life.
Sexuality : As at the Man, the orang-outang does not seem to have of particular season for the reproduction.
Des homosexual behaviors had been observed sometimes in zoos in the males. One often initially explained them by enfermement or the absence of female in a group, but as for many other primates, such behaviors are also observed in forest, in nature, at completely wild orang outans (for example with Sumatra, at the time of two studies relating to two places and populations different of Pongo pygmaeus abelii , the homosexual behavior of the monkeys thus does not rise from a loss of liberty in zoo, nor of the contact with the human ones. The researchers generally estimate that it is about behavior Agonistique S (establishing relations of Dominance and/or competition) even also, to some extent of plays lorsdesquels the young people learn or test their sexuality.
Populations
Protection
The survival of the orangs-outans in nature is largely threatened by the development of the human activities and in particular the Déforestation, recently encouraged by industrial sylvicultures (exploitation or overexploitation of wood), the development of mines) and cultures intended to produce Agro-fuel S., and agriculture (in particular for the production of palm oil transformed then into Biodiesel).La majority of these activities responsible for the acceleration of the destruction of their habitat, is illegal, that also touches the national parks officially out of reach of the Bûcheron S of the minors and the development of the cultures. Certain young people orangs-outans are also captured to be illegally sold, the poachers often kill the mother to steal her baby.
The species is also threatened by the poaching (feeding the market of the wild meat and the pets) and the fires (often voluntary) of forests. Only a third of the population of the State of Sabah is in protected areas such as national parks and natural reserves, which leaves two thirds of the animals without protection and thus more vulnerable still.
Approximately 80 percent of the habitat of the orang-outang were deforested these 20 last years . The researchers of the “Wildlife Conservation Society” (Company of safeguarding of fauna) provide that the major part of the world population of orang-outang savages will be extinct within ten years unless the poaching and the destruction of its habitat can be stopped. With losses assembling itself to 1.000 individuals each year, their number fell from 12.000 in 1993 to 6.000 individuals hardly today.
WWF works in collaboration with the authorities and other organizations for the nature conservation: its goal is to extend the surface of the protected areas and to create new ones, where hunting and the forestry development are prohibited. The WWF also helped the authorities to make apply the laws which severely limit the trade of the alive orang-outangs and the derivative products of these primates. When an orang-outang is confiscated hands of traffickers, he is entrusted to a center of revalidation to be réhabitué with the wild life before being slackened in a protected site.
The principal centers of conservation are:
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In Indonesia:
- National park of Kutai and national park of Tanjung Puting in the island of Borneo.
- Sanctuary of Bukit Lawang, inside the National park of Gunung Leuser in the north of the island of Sumatra.
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In Malaysia (both on the island of Borneo):
References
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