Extent of deforestation in Borneo 1950-2005, and projection towards 2020. 2004. All orangutans have been badly affected by deforestation and are now critically endangered. Covid update: Covisheild progress; virus ‘hidden’ gene; Fauci on vaccine. Why is the Tapanuli orangutan a new species? The Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) is a species of orangutan restricted to South Tapanuli in the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Version 2010.2. Subsequent research revealed that there were significant physical and behavioral differences between the isolated group and the other orangutans living on Sumatra. Flying Squirrels Facts: Meet The Gliding Rodents Of North America! 2006. People fleeing civil war have settled inside protected areas, cleared forest and converted land into food crops and palm oil businesses. Next, check out some more of the rarest animals on earth. Primates in Peril: The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates 2008-2010. Logging is the primary threat to orangutan habitat. (By comparison, the latest common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans lived between 4 and 7 million years ago.). In: IUCN 2010. Priyanka Chopra’s first pic from We Can Be Heroes out, ‘They are going to dominate in next 4-5 years’: Pathan’s strong prediction, Kajol’s daughter Nysa recreates viral TikTok dance with friends, watch, Amitabh shares a happy throwback with Jaya to wish fans on Diwali, Stones hurled at Bengal BJP chief Ghosh’s convoy; TMC says staged, BS Yediyurappa’s son emerges as new leader, Ford brings out electric van, takes aim at Tesla dominance in EV space, What Barack Obama said about Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh in his memoir, Centre has no plans to revive economy, says Chidambaram, CEC Sunil Arora thanks those didn’t raise doubts over EVM manipulation. “In many ways, I think the Tapanuli Orangutan is a tragic icon of China’s alarmingly aggressive development schemes,” he said. Many confiscated orangutans, though arrive at orphanages tragically abused and in poor condition. Conservation International. The Tapanuli orangutan, discovered just last year in the forests of Sumatra in Indonesia is on the brink of extinction, and a new study claims that China is in part responsible. It may also take small mammals such as slow lorises. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Palm oil is a cash crop exported for making foods, cosmetics and biofuel. When mothers are killed, any orphaned infants usually end up sold on the black market for pets. , Chandigarh , Dehradun, A new species of orangutan has been discovered in the remote jungles of Indonesia, immediately becoming the world’s most endangered great ape, researchers have said. Find out about the newly-discovered member of the great ape family …, Other interesting Tapanuli orangutan facts. Oxford University Press. The discovery of the Tapanuli orangutan brings the total number of orangutans up to three: Male Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli Orangutans. The study – as well as a related article written by Laurance – points out the specific building plans that are putting the orangutans at risk, and attempts to impress upon the public the risks associated with them. Orangutan Species. Much of the orangutan’s natural home has been cleared to make way for palm oil plantations. The area on Borneo planted to oil palms expanded from 2,000 square kilometers in 1984 to 27,000 in 2003. There are three isolated populations of Tapanuli orangutan. Male Tapanuli orangutans are significantly larger than females. Researchers studied the DNA, skulls and teeth of 33 orangutans killed in human-animal conflict before concluding that they had indeed discovered a new species, giving it the scientific name Pongo tapanuliensis. Copyright © 2020 Current Results Publishing Ltd. What does caste profile of MLAs in Bihar tell us about politics? Pongo abelii. Prior to this, the Sumatran orangutan was considered to be a subspecies of the Bornean orangutan. Recent Surveys in the Forests of Ulu Segama Malua, Sabah, Malaysia, Show That Orang-utans (P. p. morio) Can Be Maintained in Slightly Logged Forests. Sumatran orangutans split from Tapanuli orangutans around 3.4 million years ago. Sumatran orangutans have longer and paler-colorer hair than their Bornean relatives. In addition to habitat loss, orangutans are killed as agricultural pests and hunted for the pet trade. An immediate threat is a proposed hydroelectric development, which could affect 8% of the orangutan’s habitat. It was only in 1996 that scientists announced that what had originally been considered as one species – the orangutan – was actually two species: the Bornean orangutan and the Sumatran orangutan. Like other orangutan species, they are expert botanists and know how to consume and use plants for their everyday needs. The Tapanuli orangutan lives in tropical rainforests. “Orangutans reproduce extremely slowly, and if more than one percent of the population is lost annually this will spiral them to extinction,” co-author Serge Wich, professor at Liverpool John Moores University, said. Join the thousands of Active Wild subscribers who receive free wildlife and science news & info direct to their inboxes! The Tapanuli orangutan’s skull and jawbones are less robust than those of other orangutans, and the skull is smaller. These rich forests support the world's highest density of orangutans. Washington, DC and Jakarta, Indonesia. IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group. Outwardly the Tapanuli orangutan bears a closer resemblance to its Bornean counterpart, with cinnamon-coloured fur that is frizzier than its Sumatran relative. Laurance does not believe there are any Tapanuli orangutans in captivity, and there are fewer than 800 of these orangutans left in the wild today, in an area less than one-tenth the size of Sydney, Australia. The Tapanuli orangutan’s day is spent foraging for food and resting. The Tapanuli orangutan’s diet is similar to that of other orangutan species—they eat a lot of fruit, leaves, saplings, buds, and small insects; however, this is the only species known to eat pinecones and caterpillars. What does the Tapanuli orangutan look like? The Case of the Disappearing Habitat: The Candy Culprit-Get Started! © In: Singleton, I., S. Wich, S. Husson, S. Stephens, S. Utami Atmoko, M. Leighton, N. Rosen, K. Traylor-Holzer, R. Lacy and O. Byers (eds.). Taking mature trees reduces the supply of fruit that forms the bulk of the orangutan diet. Then, read about how giraffes could be being driven to extinction as well. The forest is not only the natural habitat of these orangutans, it is also crucial to provide fresh water to the human population in the region and prevent land erosion from massive floods during the rainy season. How Closely Related Are Orangutans To Humans? The species was given the name Tapanuli orangutan, after the region in which it was discovered. Today this is impossible due to habitat loss. Females are more social than males, and may tolerate other related females living nearby. “The Batang Toru orangutans appear to be direct descendants of the initial orangutans that had migrated from mainland Asia, and thus constitute the oldest evolutionary line within the genus Pongo,” said co-author Alexander Nater of the University of Zurich. The reason why orangutans are endangered can be summed up with two words: habitat loss. Orang-utans are the world's largest tree-climbing mammals. Male orangutans only develop their distinctive cheek flanges when there is no dominant male present. Laurance and his team hope that spreading the word about the Tapanuli orangutan can help give the cause a clearer image of what could happen if China’s roadway efforts continue. Also living in the reserve are Sumatran tigers, Sumatran rhinoceroses and Sumatran elephants, all endangered animals. It part of the island country of Indonesia. Unfortunately, their future is bleak. “China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” will construct massive roads, railroads, dams, ports, and other infrastructure projects across large expanses of Asia, Africa, Europe and the Pacific region. A new study, published in the journal Current Biology claims that China-backed road construction and deforestation is threatening the already-fragile habitat of the Tapanuli orangutan – one of the rarest creatures on the planet. These are fleshy projections that surround the face. TRAFFIC is a joint programme of WWF and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) that monitors the global wildlife trade. Loggers, farmers, poachers and pet dealers all play a role in the endangered orangutan's decline. The species is only found in the forests of the Batang Toru Ecosystem in the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia (Figure 1). This adaptation appears to enable the subspecies to survive in lightly logged forests. “It’s easier to see just what China’s policies are going to mean, in real terms.”. Animals That Start With W: List With Pictures & Facts, American Alligator Facts, Pictures & In-Depth Information. Orangutans, like humans, are hominids – members of the family Hominidae, also called the ‘great ape’ family. © 1986 Panda Symbol WWF – World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), 700 Russian Sturgeons Successfully Released into the Danube, On World Migratory Fish Day, Let’s Celebrate the Removal of the Lostunets Dam (Ukraine), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). At the time only two species of Orangutan were recognized; the Sumatran orangutan, and its close relative the Bornean orangutan, which lives on the neighboring island of Borneo. In 2017, the population was recognized as being a separate species. Orangutan rehabilitation and reintroduction: Successes, failures, and role in conservation. The stranded orangutans resort to raiding fruit from villagers' fields along the forest edge. Chennai, The area in which it is found covers just 1,000 km2 (386 sq. Copyright © HT Media Limited All rights reserved. Some orangutans can survive selective logging, where just a few trees are cut and most are left standing. With orangutans being slow to mature and reproduce, their populations cannot sustain even moderate losses from poaching. Lucknow, Patna, Rampant logging and the rapid expansion of palm oil plantations have been blamed for destroying their jungle habitat. New roads are planned for forests in the Singkil Swamps Wildlife Reserve on northern Sumatra.