The orangutan is the only great ape native to Asia, found exclusively on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Their name originates from the local Malay language, translating literally to “person of the forest” (orang hutan). These primates are recognized for their high intelligence, sharing approximately 97% of their DNA with humans. While generally considered semi-solitary, the most enduring and intense social bond in the wild exists between a mother and her offspring.
What Young Orangutans Are Called
Young orangutans are most commonly referred to by the general terms “infants” or “babies.” Like the young of other great ape species, there is no unique, specific term for them, such as “cub” or “joey,” that is widely used in scientific or common language. At birth, a single infant weighs only about three to four pounds. They are born highly dependent, immediately requiring the full care and protection of their mother.
The Long Period of Infant Dependence
The relationship between a mother orangutan and her infant is one of the longest in the animal kingdom, often lasting six to eight years. For the first few months, the infant is in near-constant physical contact, clinging tightly to the dense fur on the mother’s chest and back. The mother serves as the infant’s sole provider, protector, and primary mode of transportation through the arboreal canopy.
Nursing can be particularly extended, sometimes lasting more than eight years, which is the longest recorded nursing period for any wild mammal. Weaning is a gradual process, and the infant’s reliance on milk may fluctuate based on the availability of ripe fruit in the forest. When food is scarce, the infant may temporarily return to a diet primarily composed of its mother’s milk.
Learning Essential Survival Skills
The extended childhood of a young orangutan is a necessary apprenticeship for mastering the complex skills required for a solitary life in the canopy. This includes learning how to traverse the treetops, a skill that improves as the youngster practices climbing and swinging. The mother often helps bridge wide gaps between trees, acting as a living ladder for her child.
A crucial survival skill is foraging, as the juvenile must learn to identify hundreds of different plant species, including which fruits are edible and how to process them. This vast food knowledge is acquired through observation and imitation, watching the mother’s choices throughout the changing seasons.
The young orangutan also learns the complex skill of constructing a safe sleeping nest each night. Infants practicing by adding leaves to their mother’s structure around six months of age. They begin to construct small “day nests” for resting around one year old, and practice building full overnight nests between three and four years of age. Mastery of all these skills—foraging, locomotion, and nest construction—is typically achieved around eight years old, when the juvenile is finally ready to begin its life as an independent “person of the forest.”