Orangutans use a variety of methods to protect themselves from predators. One such method is the production of sounds that can frighten off a predator. They can make noises by smacking their lips, creating a sound similar to that of a kiss, as well as other sounds that may scare a predator or alert them to their presence. Although orangutans typically avoid encounters with large predators such as tigers and snakes, they occasionally come across dangerous creatures and must defend themselves.

Sumatran orangutans have the ability to inhibit their sexual maturation. If the dominant male in a group captures all the adult females, the younger males will cease to “mature” and remain “immature”, competing for the attention of the females as “boys”, rather than “males”. This period of delay can last more than a decade, until the younger males are strong enough to challenge the dominant alpha male and attempt to redistribute the females within the group.

Our closest genetic relatives, orangutans, weigh between 50 and 90 kilograms. Despite this impressive body mass, they spend their entire lives in the trees, building nests, feeding, and sleeping exclusively on branches. They avoid descending to the ground, where they could be vulnerable to various dangers, such as large predators or impassable swamps. Orangutans are the largest arboreal mammals on our planet.

Orangutan mothers refuse to share food with their children if they believe they are old enough to feed themselves.

According to research, the top five most intelligent primates after humans are the orangutan, chimpanzee, spider monkey, gorilla, and langur.