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Hold On
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
The hand of a captive Orang Utang male in Artis Zoo Amsterdam.
Orang-utans spend most of their time in the treetops of the rainforests - in fact the name orang-utan means "person of the forest". They pass from tree to tree by climbing or swinging. Their strong arms stretch out longer than their bodies (up to 2.1m across) and allow them to move about in the rainforest canopy with ease, or to hang from branches eating fruit and leaves. When climbing, orang-utans use all four limbs - their big toes are opposable (like a human's thumbs) so they can grip branches with their feet as well as their hands. On the ground, orang-utans can stand upright, but they walk on all fours.
They are active during the day, and at night the females and young males sleep in nests which they build in the trees each evening. Due to their heaviness, mature males often sleep on the forest floor.
Orang-utans usually live on their own. This is particularly the case with adult males, who only associate with others during mating, which happens throughout the year. Female orang-utans typically give birth to one baby, although twins are not unheard of. Mothers take great care of their young, who remain with them for up to six years. The average lifespan for an orang-utan is 30 years, and maturity is reached at seven to 10 years of age.
Because orang-utans spend most of their lives alone in the trees, calculating population numbers is an extremely difficult task. However, evidence such as numbers of nests suggests that fewer than 30,000 orang-utans exist in the world today. Of these, the vast majority are found in Borneo (about 24,000), with just a tiny population surviving in Sumatra. Over the past 100 years orang-utans have lost 91 per cent of their population.
The most serious threat to orang-utans is the destruction of their rainforest habitat. In the last 20 years an estimated 80 per cent of suitable orang-utan habitat has disappeared, and only around two per cent of what remains is legally protected. The main causes of this habitat loss are commercial logging, clearance for agriculture, and conversion to plantations. Not only does commercial logging destroy the forest, it is often done illegally, creating roads into previously inaccessible areas, which provides access to poachers |
lglandon, annagrace has marked this note useful
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Very nice composition! B&W is a very good choice for this picture.
TFS, Laurent
Interesting composition ! B & W was an excellent choice ! It would make a good ilustration for an article on evolution or wildlife conservation ...
- jossim
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1575 W: 5 N: 2181]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(12252) - [2005-09-16 7:12]
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J'aime bien cette photo, la prise de vue nous fait réfléchir sur les annimaux en captivité.
Félicitations !
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- lukdm
![Gold Star Critiquer [C: 51 W: 0 N: 7]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-n.gif)
(165) - [2005-09-16 7:15]
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een meesterwerkje !
Great capture of the human like hand. I really like B&W for this. The detail and exposure are spot on!
Alli
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- olger
(744)
- [2005-09-26 7:43]
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Hele mooie plaat Mike, mooie uitsneden en een goede keuze om in ZW te doen! Orgineel gevonden!
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- optic
(0)
- [2005-10-01 21:51]
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Very expressive photo Mike, i like the B&W and composition, great light and nice point of view. Very well done,
Regards,
Christian
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- Kris
(1812)
- [2005-11-23 7:37]
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Mike,
Great ideia, very original indeed. Interesting composition.
100% I like it!
Regards, Krzysztof.
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(1330)![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 657 W: 57 N: 1500]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(7671)