Orangutan Feeding Ecology(Bio 342 Fall 2007)Jonathan R. Sweeney |
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People of the Forest (Orangutan)Order: Primates Feeding EcologyFeeding ecology is used here to describe the interaction between orangutan feeding behavior and the ecological environment from which they derive nutrients. By studying feeding ecology we can learn more about why orangutans exibit certain feeding behaviors as well as the conditions necessary to conserve these threatened apes in the face of environmental destruction. This site has information about the following questions: 1) How has the evolution of the orangutan lineage shaped orangutan feeding ecology?(Phylogeny) Distribution and TaxonomyOrangutans are taonomically divided into two species: Pongo pygmaeus (Borneo) and Pongo abelii (Sumatra). Within Pongo Pygmaeus three subspecies have evolved in three geographically distinct regions of Borneo: Pongo pygmaeus morio (Eastern Borneo), Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii (Southwest Borneo), and Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus (Northwest Borneo). More information on the causes of divergence can be found on the adaptive value section. EtymologyThe word orangutan originates from the Indonesian "orang hutan," which is translated as "the people (orang) of the forest (hutan)."
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