Orangutans have adapted to humans for 70,000 years

If you are very lucky, you might have seen an orang-utan in the wild. Most people only saw them on TV. In either case, the animal was probably in a remote forest, still virgin of everyone. This is the image we badociate with these critically endangered animals: vulnerable, dependent on virgin habitats and unable to coexist with humans. But this vision can be wrong.

Until recently, our ideas about conservation were limited by romantic notions of "wild" nature and our limited understanding of the adaptable and robust nature of nature. Yet understanding how prolonged exposure to humans has impacted even well-studied species can help reverse the badumptions about them and make conservation more effective. The orangutan is a good example

<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Orangutans are the largest mammals living mainly in trees, and they have few predators outside humans, they usually live at low densities and are unique in great apes being very solitary. to small populations on Sumatra (19459016) Pongo abelii and the newly P. tapanuliensis newly described and in Borneo ( Pongo pygmaeus ) in danger, but it was supposed that significant human impacts have occurred primarily over the past 60 years, leading to the opinion of orangutans as "untouched" and lacking the ability to adapt to humans. 32 "> Orangutans are the largest mammals living mainly in trees , and they have few predators besides humans. They usually live at low densities and are unique among the monkeys by being largely solitary. Although orangutan species were once widespread in mainland Southeast Asia, the remaining three are limited to small populations on Sumatra ( Pongo abelii and P. tapanuliensis ) and Borneo ( Pongo pygmaeus ). All orangutans are critically endangered, but it has been speculated that significant human impacts have occurred over the past 60 years, which has led orangutans to be considered "untouched" and unable to survive. to adapt to humans

. l & # 39; orangutan. This is the conclusion of the research that we have just published, with co-authors, in Science Advances. Rather than being an ecologically fragile monkey, there is some evidence that orangutans have adapted to humans for a long time. The modern orangutan is the product of environmental and human impacts, and where they live and how they act seem to reflect our common history.

We do not imply that orangutans are not threatened by current human activities. For example, between 1999 and 2015, the population of orangutans in Borneo dropped by about 50%, a loss of about 100,000 individuals in 16 years. The main factor responsible for this situation was probably hunting. But if major threats like hunting are controlled – an "if" important – then orangutans can better coexist with people than most people think. Coexistence for 70,000 Years

People and orangutans have been in contact since modern humans moved to the humid tropics about 70,000 years ago. At that time, orangutans were widespread and abundant. Their teeth are relatively common among the remains of animals found in China, Vietnam, and Thailand suggesting that they were easy to pick for prehistoric hunters.

Orangutans experienced a steep decline 20,000 years ago. during the last century. While the climate has probably had some effect, evidence from fossils, archeology and genetics strongly suggest a human role. Specifically, we have found that the arrival of humans – and especially advances in their hunting technologies, such as projectile weapons and, later, blowguns and rifles – corresponds to the decline of orangutans [19659008]. the orangutan, such as the woolly rhino, the lazy giants and other Pleistocene megafauna. Surviving orangutans may have changed their behavior to counter this threat, perhaps moving further into thicker forests to avoid human hunters.

This ability to adapt is still present in orangutans. Recent studies have shown that they can reasonably manage in logged forests, and they even inhabit fragmented forest landscapes dominated by oil palm and other crops, although they have always need to access the natural forest. When their favorite foods (ripe fruits) are not available, orangutans are even able to eat a wide variety of alternative foods like bark.

The Good News

The realization that orang-utans have already adapted to a world dominated by humans has implications for conservation. The fact that these animals can survive relatively well in plantations and farmland outside virgin forests – as long as they are not hunted – means that these areas should be integrated into conservation strategies. This is particularly important since most orangutans do not currently live in protected forests, but in areas open to humans.

The boundary between nature and the world dominated by man is increasingly blurred. Most species have adapted to human activities in one way or another. This is not always a good thing, but with the orang-utan, it allows us to see conservation opportunities that were previously invisible.

This article originally appeared on The Conversation. Read the original article.

<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" Mike Bruford received funding for his Darwin Initiative Orangutan Research Initiative "data-reactid =" 73 "> Mike Bruford received funding from Darwin for his research on the orangutan Initiative

<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mo (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "[19659018] Serge Wich receives funding from ARCUS Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Services, National Geographic, STFC "data-reactid =" 74 "> Serge Wich receives funding from the ARCUS Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Services, National Geographic, STFC.

<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mo (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = " Stephanie Spehar received funds for research on the orangutan of the foundation LSB Leakey, the Nacey Maggioncalda Foundation, the ARCUS Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. "data-reactid =" 75 "> Stephanie Spehar research on the orangutan of the LSB Leakey Foundation, the Nacey Maggioncalda Foundation, the ARCUS Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mo (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = " Douglas Sheil does not work for, consults, owns or receives any funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article and has not disclosed any relevant affiliation after their academic appointment [19659017] "data-reactid =" 76 "> [19659018] Douglas Sheil does not work for, consults, holds or receives any funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article and did not disclose any relevant affiliation after their academic appointment