The local people know him as the "Man of the Forest," who refused to speak for fear of being put to work. And indeed the bear-like Sumatran orangutan, with his moon face, lanky arms, and shaggy red hair, does seem uncannily human; one of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, the orangutan may have much to tell us about the origins of human intelligence, technology, and culture. In this book one of the world's leading experts on Sumatran orangutans, working in collaboration with nature photographer Perry van Duijnhoven, takes us deep into the disappearing world of these captivating primates. In a narrative that is part adventure, part field journal, part call to conscience, Carel van Schaik introduces us to the colorful characters and complex lives of the orangutans who inhabit the vanishing forests of Sumatra. In compelling words and pictures, we come to know the personalities and temperaments of our primate cousins as they go about their days: building double-decker tree nests; using leaves as napkins, gloves, rain hats, and blankets, and sticks as backscratchers and probes; nurturing their infants longer and more intensely than any other nonhuman mammal. Here are the births and deaths, the first use of a tool, the defeat of a rival, the gradual loss of influence that, while fascinating to observe, may also help us to reconstruct human evolution.
Each title in this beautifully photographed series looks at the life cycle, habitat, threats and what humans can do to help each animal survive. Ages 8+.
Presents information about orangutans and how they demonstrate intelligence by using tools, finding food, using plants for medicine, and imitating humans.
Offers insight into the lives of orangutans in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra, including their mental development, the mother-child relationship, and efforts to continue protecting them from death for profit.
This comprehensive and authoritative review of the distribution and conservation status of Great Apes includes individual country profiles for each species and overview chapters on ape biology, ecology, and conservation challenges.
Praise for the previous edition: "A fascinating firsthand account of the behavior and intelligence of orangutans, Russon's book is also an account of the successes, failures, and politics of orangutan rehabilitation in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra... The book is lavishly illustrated with full color photographs." - Choice The only great apes found in Asia, these arboreal wizards are by nature elusive and solitary, and inhabit nearly inaccessible tropical rainforests. The tragedy is that orangutans are almost extinct, surviving in the wild only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra where human influx is rapidly appropriating their habitat. Based on fifteen years of research, this extraordinary and definitive book focuses on orangutan intelligence and behavior. This book includes: A scientific history of orangutans Detailed descriptions of orangutans and their natural habitat Astonishing behavior patterns Rehabilitation operations at Camp Leakey and Wanariset The complex politics of orangutan rescue work Results of orangutans released back into the forest Updated resources What the future holds for these primates. With one hundred color photographs taken by the author during her visits to the rainforests, Orangutans is an absorbing and instructive look at the unusual world of orangutans.
With this pictorial essay, Galdikas brings to life her work with these shy & endangered red apes. Taking readers to her remote rainforest headquarters, Galdikas draws on Karl Ammann's unparalleled photographs to present intimate portraits of the individual orangutans she's come to know & offers rare glimpses of their behavior in the wild.