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The development of wild immature Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) at Ketambe

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Abstract

Orangutans have the longest immature period and inter-birth interval of all ape species. This may be explained by a slow life history, the need to develop skills or by their relatively solitary lifestyle, which prevents a mother from associating with two offspring. This study of wild immature orangutans at the Ketambe Research Station, Indonesia, describes, with partly cross-sectional, partly longitudinal data, their development to independence. The study subjects ranged from 1 to 11 years of age. Data on their activity budget, diet, mother–offspring proximity and maintenance of proximity, association with conspecifics and play behavior were collected. The results indicate that immature orangutans can provide for their own food and transport, and therefore were independent of direct maternal care, at an age of possibly 3 but more clearly 6 years. This is similar to chimpanzees, and refutes the slow life history hypothesis. Immature orangutans remain within their mother’s vicinity until the age of 8 years, indicating a dependence on indirect maternal care, and this coincides with the period during which the mother does not produce another offspring. A female orangutan seems unable to associate with an older immature while caring for a new infant. This is consistent with the solitary-lifestyle hypothesis and corroborates the results obtained with the Sumatran orangutan population at Suaq Balimbing. However, why an immature depends indirectly on its mother for such a long period remains unclear. It is possible that it needs to develop ecological or social skills or needs the protection of its mother. Unfortunately, no data were available to distinguish between these possibilities.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in Jakarta, the Indonesian Nature Conservation Service (PHPA) in Jakarta, Medan and Kutacane, Universitas Nasional (UNAS) in Jakarta and the Leuser Development Programme in Medan for granting permission and giving support to conduct scientific research in the Ketambe Research Station situated in the Leuser Ecosystem. We thank the Netherlands Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical Research (WOTRO) and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) for long-term financial support for the research at Ketambe. We thank the European Commission and the Indonesian Government for funding the Leuser Development Programme. We gratefully acknowledge Matplin, Sulaeman, Abu Lubis, and Susannah Thorpe for their help in the field with the data collection. Furthermore, we would like to thank Kim Bard, Estelle Nijssen, Anne Russon, Susannah Thorpe and two anonymous referees for comments which improved the manuscript and Han de Vries for his help with the statistical analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioural Biology, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80086, 3508 TB, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Gijsbertus G. J. van Adrichem, Sri Suci Utami, Serge A. Wich, Jan A. R. A. M. van Hooff & Elisabeth H. M. Sterck

  2. Facultas Biologi, Universitas Nasional, Jl. Sawo Manila-Pasar Minggu, Jakarta, Indonesia

    Sri Suci Utami

  3. Animal Science Department, Biomedical Primate Research Center, P.O. Box 3306, 2280 GH, Rijswijk, The Netherlands

    Elisabeth H. M. Sterck

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  1. Gijsbertus G. J. van Adrichem
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Correspondence to Elisabeth H. M. Sterck.

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van Adrichem, G.G., Utami, S.S., Wich, S.A. et al. The development of wild immature Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) at Ketambe. Primates 47, 300–309 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-006-0193-9

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