The Intelligence of Orangutans

Orangutans are large apes that usually live in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Their name "Orangutan" actually means "person of the forest" in the local language. As most apes are, Orangutans are closely related to human beings and share about 97% of our DNA.

They exhibit surprisingly high intelligence for animals that aren't human beings and they are great at learning something just by watching others do it.

They are mostly solitary in nature and they tend to spend much of their time alone. Unlike cats and chickens and most mammals, the Orangutan mothers take care of their babies for many years, sometimes up to eight years of nurturing.

Their arms are long and their hands are strong, which enables them to move through trees with ease. Orangutans actually use tools to get their food. They could use sticks to help them reach food or use the leaves of the trees as umbrellas.

Their interactions with other animals is also next level. There are a number of viral videos online that might surprise you if you haven't watched before.

For this one, you see an orangutan babysitting tiger cubs

For this one, you see the Orangutan trying to make a trade with a person

And this may not be interaction with other animals but boy was I surprised to see this animal saw through a tree.

They are naturally curious animals and like to explore new objects or things they're not too familiar with.

There was a viral video from the Dubai Zoo, which showed an Orangutan interacting with a man's jacket. The animal first showed interest in the jacket by touching and looking at it. It then carefully unzipped the jacket, the right way. This is evidence of their problem solving skills.

Video of Orangutan removing the man's jacket and putting it on

https://youtube.com/shorts/o8Su64LlIkE?si=jbBE5X71tcU9es2N

After unzipping, it took the jacket off the man, it knew how to do that, and it knew the jacket would come off. You would think, it might see the jacket as part of the man's body but it has probably learned about jackets.

The next surprise was how the Orangutan tossed the jacket over its head. It almost seemed like a playful behavior. It then put its arms through the sleeves and wore the jacket like an actual person would.

It's not just their intelligence but it shows how Orangutans can also imitate human actions. You might think it was trained to do this but such imitation does not need training, it can happen naturally.

Orangutans' knack for playing and experimentation is something that helps them learn a lot. Their level of curiosity is a necessity for survival in the wild. It's smart enough to find food and if the food is stuck somewhere, it can manage to get it with its smartness. They have really intelligent and flexible minds.