FINE FOREST FORAGERS
Orangutans, a species that spends most of their time in the trees, can consume a vast variety of foods. Their excellent climbing abilities enable them to obtain fruits and other food sources inaccessible to ground-dwelling animals. Of course, this doesn’t stop them from foraging on the ground as well.
Orangutans are frugivores, meaning they eat primarily fruits. They have strong jaws and teeth suitable for chewing on all sorts of fruits, no matter how ripe or underripe they may be. In addition to fruits, orangutans use their strong bite to consume piths and leaves. They will tear through the hard exterior to reach the supple pith inside many plants or snack on the soft young leaves that dot the tips of many branches.
As highly intelligent creatures, our red cousins employ creative ways to obtain food from even the most challenging places. They can use tools, such as smooth sticks, to extract termites or ants from tree holes. They will cleverly use the hair on the back of their hands to trap ants and pluck them off of spiky rattans without pricking themselves.
Orangutans employ creative ways to obtain food from even the most challenging places.
Impressive memory
Orangutans are capable of developing new strategies as well to solve problems and obtain food. They can learn from experience and remember the locations of specific trees that yield the best fruits. Even more impressive, they will remember when specific trees bear fruit.
As much as orangutans depend on the rich resources of the rainforest, you can imagine how threats like deforestation and the degradation of their natural habitat can make it challenging for them to find food. They significantly impact their already small populations. That’s why rainforest conservation is one of the most important efforts we must tackle to ensure the survival of orangutans long into the future.
