An orangutan is a large, intelligent ape with shaggy reddish-brown fur that lives in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, two islands in Southeast Asia. The name comes from Malay words meaning “person of the forest,” which fits perfectly: orangutans are among the smartest animals on Earth, using tools and solving complex problems.

Unlike monkeys (which have tails), orangutans are apes, related to gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans. They spend most of their time high in the trees, using their incredibly long arms to swing from branch to branch. An adult male orangutan can have arms spanning seven feet from fingertip to fingertip, perfect for life in the forest canopy. They build sleeping nests in the treetops each night, weaving branches together like a comfortable hammock.

Orangutans mostly live alone, unlike the social gorillas and chimpanzees. A mother orangutan cares for her baby for about seven years, teaching it which fruits are safe to eat, how to build nests, and how to survive in the forest. Watching an orangutan use a stick to fish termites from a log or fold a leaf into a rain hat shows just how thoughtful and capable these remarkable creatures are.