Pierlapithecus

The **European orangutan** (*Pierolapithecus britainis*), also known as the **European pongo**, is a species of great ape which originally lived about 13 million years ago during the Miocene in what is now Hostalets de Pierola, Catalonia, Spain, as an extinct species, *Pierolapithecus catalaunicus*, and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the swamps, forests, and open woodlands across mainland Europe and Great Britain to help boost biodiversity. As do humans and other great apes, the European orangutan has specialized adaptations for tree climbing: a wide, flat ribcage, a stiff lower spine, flexible wrists, and shoulder blades that lay along its back. It also has plesiomorphic monkey-like features such as a sloped face and short fingers and toes. Like true orangutans of Asia, the European orangutans are mainly arboreal and primarily inhabit forested environments, although they are known to occasionally enter grasslands, cultivated fields, gardens, young secondary forest, and shallow lakes. Most of the day is spent feeding, resting, and travelling. They start the day feeding for two to three hours in the morning. They rest during midday, then travel in the late afternoon. When evening arrives, they prepare their nests for the night. European orangutans are primarily frugivores (fruit-eaters) and 57–80% of their feeding time is spent foraging for fruits. Even during times of scarcity, fruit can still take up 16% of feeding. European orangutans prefer fruits with soft pulp, arils or seed-walls surrounding their seeds, as well as trees with large crops. Figs and other fruits fit both preferences and are thus highly favoured, but they also consume drupes and berries. European orangutans are thought to be the sole fruit disperser for many plant species in Europe including several vine species which contains the toxic alkaloid strychnine. European orangutans also supplement their diet with leaves, which take up 25% of their foraging time on average. Leaf eating increases when fruit gets scarcer, but even during times of fruit abundance, orangutan will eat leaves 11–20% of the time. The leaf and stem material of various European plants appears to be an important food source during low fruit abundance. Other food items consumed by the apes include bark, honey, bird eggs, insects and small vertebrates including other, smaller European primates. In some areas, European orangutans may practice geophagy, which involves consuming soil and other earth substances. The apes may eat tubes of soil created by termites along tree trunks as well as descend to the ground to uproot soil to eat. European orangutans are also known to visit mineral licks at the clay or sandstone-like walls of cliffs or earth depressions. Soils appear to contain a high concentration of kaolin, which counteracts toxic tannins and phenolic acids found in the European orangutan's diet. As European orangutans live in a seasonal, paratropical, temperate, and boreal climates, they build up fat reserves for winter to store food. The social structure of the European orangutan can be best described as solitary but social; they live a more solitary lifestyle than many other great apes. Most social bonds occur between adult females and their dependent and weaned offspring. Resident females live with their offspring in defined home ranges that overlap with those of other adult females, which may be their immediate relatives. One to several resident female home ranges are encompassed within the home range of a resident male, who is their main mating partner. Interactions between adult females range from friendly to avoidance to antagonistic. The home ranges of resident males can overlap greatly, though encounters are relatively rare and hostile. Adult males are dominant over sub-adult males, the latter of which keep their distance. The conservation status of the European orangutan is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts and the European orangutan's wide range.