Orang-utan Handpuppet 25cm - Cuddly Toy

Physical Characteristics
Long-haired, orange-red, Orangutans have an enormous arm span. A male may stretch his arms some 7 feet from fingertip to fingertip-a reach considerably longer than his standing height of about 5 feet (1.5 meters). When orangutans do stand, their hands nearly touch the ground. Average lifespan in the wild: 30 to 40 years Size: Standing height, 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5m) Weight: 73 to 180 lbs (33 to 82 kg).

Habitat
Orangutans are found only in Sumatra and Borneo and due to the ongoing deforestation of their natural habitat they are now an endangered species.

Behaviour
Orangutans' arms are well suited to their lifestyle because they spend much of their time climbing, hanging in and swinging through the trees of their tropical rain forest home. They even sleep in nests of leafy branches high in the treetops. They use large leaves as umbrellas and shelters to protect themselves from the frequent rain.

Breeding
Orangutans are generally solitary animals but Mothers and young, however, share a strong bond. Infants will stay with their mothers for some six or seven years until they develop the skills to survive on their own. Female orangutans give birth only once every eight years-the longest time period of any animal, meaning they may only succeed in raising two to three young in a lifetime.

Diet
Orangutans are omnivores - Most of their diet consists of fruit and leaves gathered from rain forest trees. They also eat bark, insects and, on rare occasions, meat.

Strange and Interesting Facts
The Malay word orangutan means "person of the forest." An orangutans' favourite fruit is the durian. Durians are renowned for their horrible smell but orangutans love them! When orangutans are annoyed they will smack their lips together to produce a sound called a 'kiss squeak'!