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(Biodiversity) Orangutan an Endemic to Indonesia |
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by Ida Ayu Mas Amelia Kusumaningtyas | 20-05-2019 16:02
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Orangutan an Endemic to Indonesia Orangutan in Indonesian consists of two words, orang and utan. If translated, orang would mean person and utan taken from hutan would be forest. This makes orangutan have a meaning of a person from the forest. Orangutan is an endemic to Indonesia, just like how Koala is an endemic to Australia, Orangutan can only be found in Sumatra and in Borneo. Here are some facts on orangutan from WWF: - Orangutan can live up to 45 years. - Orangutan and human have DNA similarities up to 97%. - There are two types of orangutan in the world, which is orangutan Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus) and orangutan Sumatra (Pongo abelii). - Orangutan lives in tropical forests and swamps. - Orangutan consumes fruits and leaves, flowers, honey, insects, vines and plant buds. - Orangutan start to reproduce at the age of 7 to 10 years. Orangutan is an endangered animal and banned from being caught as well as banned from being traded because their numbers are getting smaller. - In their natural habitat, the number of orangutan in Borneo is around 23.000 and for orangutan Sumatra around 12.000. The existence of orangutan benefits the ecosystem because they help spread out seeds throughout the forest. When they consume fruits, they would throw the seeds away. If it falls on fertile soil, the seed would later grow into a tree. Not only that, orangutan can be said to take part in growing saplings. Branches they break off to make their nests and leaves they take to eat would allow light to reach the ground, helping the saplings receive light and grow. However, the area of forests are decreasing and becoming more ruined. There are cases of illegal logging, land made into plantation as well as mining, and so on. Moreover, there are poachers lurking around. Orangutan would be caught and made into a pet. Where an orangutan disease can be transmitted to a human, seeing that there is a 97% similarity in the DNA. Reference: https://www.wwf.or.id/cara_anda_membantu/bertindak_sekarang_juga/sahabat_orangutan/ |
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Previous : Biodiversity
4 Comments
Hello Ida
Thank you for your report about Orangutan an Endemic to Indonesia
Green Cheers from Nepal :)
Keep writing great reports.
We are eager to read more reports from you.
Regards,
Kushal Naharki
Posted 17-06-2019 05:29
Hello Ida
Thank you for your thorough report on Orangutan, an endemic to Indonesia. I have learnt so many fun facts about orangutan from your report. In particula, I didn??t know that orangutan can benefit the ecosystem in two amazing ways spreading the seeds throughout the forest, breaking the branches that can be used for building nests. Thus, decreasing number of orangutans can bring more disastrous impacts on the ecosystem than expectation. Thank you for bringing up this important issue and sharing it with us!
Wonhee Mentor
Posted 24-05-2019 01:07
Hi Ida,
Thank you for writing about Orangutan and its role in the ecosystem. I have seen from the news that Orangutan has 97% similarity to human in terms of DNA, and their DNA samples were used for medical research purposes. In order to protect them, we should be responsible for securing their natural habitats and not to destroy them. Also, severe punishment and regulations should be enforced to prevent illegal logging. Overall this is a great report! Keep it up! :)
Louis Mentor
Posted 23-05-2019 00:38
Hey there Ida!
I hope your're well!
The Orangutan is truly of the forest and I see that they do a lot to aid the natural life of a forest to survive. A 97% similarity to humans is amazing, truely as the name says, they are people of the forest.
Indeed, more needs to be done in order to save the nature habitat of the Orangutan species. We need to start with awareness of illegal poaching and setting strong regulations for the protection of the Orangutan species. We need not destroy another habitat of a species as beautiful and unique as the Orangutan.
Thank you for your beautifully written report. You have sparked a thought for a great debate/conversation.
Warm regards,
Rosa
Posted 20-05-2019 17:48