Orangutan

The largest arboreal mammal, sharing 97% of our DNA/Large Land Animals

Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, and the largest animals to live primarily in trees. Adult males develop wide cheek pads called flanges and can have an arm span of over 2 meters. They share about 97% of their DNA with humans and demonstrate remarkable intelligence: they use tools, build new sleeping nests every night from branches and leaves, and have been observed using medicinal plants to treat wounds. Orangutans are the most solitary of the great apes, with males living alone except during mating. All three species are critically endangered.