Orangutans — Designed for Tree Life

 It is less common today, but one can see orangutan written as orang-utan. In the Malay language, orang is man and hutan is forest. It is the man of the forest (no word on how the females feel about this). These great apes are supposedly related to humans. Because evolution.

However, their supposed 94 percent genetic similarity to humans is not discussed because chimpanzees are our closest relative. Because evolution. Orangutans are Asian great apes, and they are gentle giants. They may look comical to us with those long arms and short legs, but they are adroit at tree life.

Orangutan image via RGBStock / Adrian van Leen

The intelligence of orangutans has bemused and dismayed some of the people living near them. Also, they were considered to be ape-men before Charles Darwin began his storytelling. Orangutans were created separately from humans, and reveal that they were designed for their lifestyles.

As large, tailless primates, orangutans belong, along with chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas, to the great ape kind, created on day six of creation week. But orangutans stand out. They are the only Asian great apes, living in the rainforests and swamp forests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. And while the African apes are good climbers, orangutans make them look like downright amateurs.

To read the whole article or listen to the audio by my favorite reader, click on "Orangutan—King of the Treetop Trapeze."