Gestation is 8 months, and babies weigh 3 to 4 pounds. At birth, infants are capable of grasping their mother's hair and completely supporting their own weight. Infants learn what to eat by observing their mothers, eating particles of food left on their mother's coat. Babies stay small for many years, depending on their mothers for nurturing. Not as social as other great apes, a bond between a female and her most recent offspring continues well past the three-year nursing period.
Orangutans are generally good mothers, being very gentle and loving.
She either holds or places her baby on top of her head as she moves about. They live on fruits and vegetables, foraging in the tropical rainforest and lowland swamp. Standing five feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds, orangutans have great strength and agility. They can hang from one arm and rotate 360 degrees. There are two species, Sumatran and Bornean, only found in the wild on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.