Forest structure and support availability influence orangutan locomotion in Sumatra and Borneo.

The influence of habitat structure and support availability on support use is an important aspect of understanding locomotor behavior in arboreal primates. We compared habitat structure and support availability in three orangutan study sites-two on Sumatra (Pongo abelii) in the dry-lowland forest of Ketambe and peat swamp forest of Suaq Balimbing, and one on Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) in the disturbed peat swamp forest of Sabangau-to better understand orangutan habitat use. Our analysis revealed vast differences in tree and liana density between the three sites.

Locomotor behavior of wild orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) in disturbed peat swamp forest, Sabangau, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.

This study examined the locomotor behavior of wild Bornean orangutans (P. p. wurmbii) in an area of disturbed peat swamp forest (Sabangau Catchment, Indonesia) in relation to the height in the canopy, age-sex class, behavior (feeding or traveling), and the number of supports used to bear body mass.