00:00:16is the Gibbon
00:00:20at least seven different species of
00:00:22Gibbons now live in Indonesia half of
00:00:24them on Sumatra one unique type found
00:00:27here is the sea among the largest of its
00:00:30kind in the world reaching weights of up
00:00:32to 30 pounds this primates most
00:00:35distinguishing characteristic is an
00:00:37enlarged throat set which when inflated
00:00:40can be as big as a human head the sac is
00:00:43belief help amplify its calls see among
00:00:48spend most of their time in the lush
00:00:50treetop canopy and get around in a way
00:00:52entirely befitting the environment they
00:00:57propel themselves to the trees in an
00:00:59acrobatic hand-over-hand swinging
00:01:01process called brachiating when moving
00:01:04quickly they can actually seem like
00:01:06they’re flying from branch to branch not
00:01:09a small feat for the world’s largest
00:01:10given despite the sea among size it is
00:01:18not the largest animal in the trees of
00:01:21Sumatra that title belongs to the only
00:01:24great ape living in Asia the orangutan
00:01:32this charismatic reday was once
00:01:34widespread throughout mainland Asia but
00:01:37it is now found in the wild on only two
00:01:39islands Sumatra and Borneo
00:01:46scarce but strong an orangutan has an
00:01:49upper body strength four times that of
00:01:52its human relatives
00:01:56even so life in the trees is far from
00:01:59carefree an Asian pit vipers venom can
00:02:02kill a young orangutan such dangerous
00:02:07neighbors must be put into place
00:02:20as the largest tree climbing mammal a
00:02:23fully grown male orangutan may weigh as
00:02:25much as 200 pounds and dines on fruit
00:02:28bark buds flowers and the occasional
00:02:32insect so how does a primarily
00:02:35vegetarian creature pack on the pounds
00:02:38simple the Arang has a mind for its menu
00:02:42or put another way it’s got a good
00:02:44memory they develop mental maps of their
00:02:47personal space in the forest and note
00:02:50just where to find ripe food at every
00:02:51turn orangutans particularly males which
00:02:56are distinguished by their cheek pads
00:02:57tend to be more solitary than their
00:03:00chanted gorilla counterparts however the
00:03:04bonds of an orangutans mother and baby
00:03:06are one of the strongest among primates
00:03:10it takes a mother about seven years to
00:03:14teach her youngster what it needs to
00:03:15know to survive on its own in the wild
00:03:20that survival is becoming increasingly
00:03:22more difficult for the highly
00:03:24intelligent Arang and other primates of
00:03:26the indonesian landscaper hunting and
00:03:30habitat loss due to deforestation have
00:03:32these creatures teetering on the brink
00:03:40however the future for one of the
00:03:42orangutans smaller primate cousins isn’t
00:03:45quite as bleak meet the macaque
00:03:57these long-tailed monkeys hold special
00:03:59meaning for many people of Indonesia
00:04:02some believe they are part of the Hindu
00:04:05monkey gods army of workers and that
00:04:07they protect the islands in temples
00:04:18the macaque is an ecologically diverse
00:04:20animal able to live in a number of
00:04:22differing habitats from forests and
00:04:24swamps to coastal areas
00:04:31whether swimming drinking or hunting for
00:04:34crabs these petite primates seem to
00:04:36enjoy the water
00:04:42long-tailed macaques live in large
00:04:44troupes with well-defined hierarchies
00:04:46covered by a strong set of social rules
00:04:48which are never far from the surface
00:04:52this troops intricate social structure
00:04:55is reinforced with each intimate act of
00:04:57grooming
00:04:59and with primping comes power not to
00:05:03mention that it probably feels pretty
00:05:05good to light for the macaque however
00:05:11isn’t all swimming and grooming although
00:05:13it’s a protected species in Indonesia
00:05:15these monkeys still face serious
00:05:17challenges from habitat loss hunters and
00:05:20farmers but among the biggest threats of
00:05:23them all is the fact that they are one
00:05:25of the top five primate species
00:05:27collected and used in medical research
00:05:29an estimated 9,500 to 12 thousand
00:05:33monkeys enter the United States each
00:05:34year for research purposes conservation
00:05:38and education may be the most useful
00:05:40tools in turning the time these
00:05:45beautiful primates
00:05:47of every shape and size populate the
00:05:49vast and exotic islands of Indonesia
00:05:51they’re charming intelligent and social
00:05:55creatures which may be wide many of us
00:05:58find them so breathtaking to behold and
00:06:00impossible to forget
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