The Living Animals of the World 



PAPPAN, MIAS-RAMBI, and MIAS-KASSU, the third of which is smaller, has no cheek-excrescences, 

 and very large teeth. Some naturalists recognise a pale and a dark race. 



Most of our information is due to Eaja Brooke and Dr. Wallace. The species is confined 

 to Borneo and Sumatra, but fossils have been found in India of this genus, as well as of a 

 chimpanzee. The orang is less man-like than the chimpanzee and gorilla. In height the 

 male varies from 3 feet 10 inches to 4 feet 6 inches, the female being a few inches shorter. 

 It is a heavy creature, with large head often a foot in breadth thick neck, powerful arms, 

 which reach nearly to the ankles, and protuberant abdomen. Its legs are short and bowed. 

 The forehead is high, the nose fairly large, the ears very human. The throat is ornamented 

 with large pouches, and there are often callosities on the cheeks. The fingers are webbed, the 



thumb small, the foot long 

 and narrow, the great toe 

 small and often without a 

 nail. The brain is man-like, 

 and the ribs agree in number 

 with those of man ; but there 

 are nine bones in the wrist, 

 whereas man, the gorilla, and 

 the chimpanzee have but 

 eight. The canine teeth are 

 enormous in the male. The 

 hair, a foot or more long on 

 the shoulders and thighs, is 

 yellowish red : there is a 

 slight beard. The skin is 

 grey or brown, and often, in 

 adults, black. 



The orang is entirely a 

 tree-living animal, and is only 

 found in moist districts 

 where there is much virgin 

 forest. On the ground it 

 progresses clumsily on all- 

 fours, using its arms as 

 crutches, and with the side 

 only of its feet on the ground. 



YOUNG ORANG-UTANS. In trees ifc travels deliber- 



ately but with perfect ease, 

 swinging along underneath 

 the branches, although it also 



walks along them semi-erect. It lives alone with mate and young, and builds a sleeping - 

 place sufficiently low to avoid the wind. Its food is leaves and fruit, especially the durian ; 

 its feeding-time, midday. 



No animal molests the mias save so say the Dyaks the python and crocodile, both 

 of which it kills by tearing with its hands. It never attacks man, but has been known to 

 bite savagely when brought to bay, and it is very tenacious of life, one being found by 

 Mr. Wallace still alive after a fall from a tree, when " both legs had been broken, its hip-joint 

 and the root of the spine shattered, and two bullets flattened in neck and jaws." 



In captivity young orangs are playful and docile, but passionate. Less intelligent than 

 chimpanzees, they may be taught to eat and drink nicely, and to obey simple commands. 

 One in the Zoo at present has acquired the rudiments of drill. They will eat meat and eggs, 

 and drink wine, beer, spirits, and tea. An orang described years ago by Dr. Clarke Abel was 



Photo by Ottomar Anschutz) 



[Berlin. 



It will be seen here, trom the profile, that the young anthropoid ape has only the upper part of the 

 bead at all approacning the human type. 



