How Do Orangutans Bathe?

Orangutans are a species of ape primarily located in the tropical rain forests of Sumatra and Borneo, located in Indonesia. Orangutans are the biggest tree-dwelling animals in the world. They spend most of their times in trees, only descending to the ground on occasion. Orangutans bathe by self- and group-grooming.

  1. Self-Grooming

    • Orangutans self-groom, in addition to grooming each other. Because orangutans are highly flexible creatures, they are capable of reaching just about every inch of their bodies. Orangutans have extremely long arms -- one and a half times the length of their legs -- which they use to access hard to reach areas.

    Group-Grooming

    • Female orangutans engage in social grooming with more regularity than males do, although males are occasionally observed grooming each other. Females groom other males and other females to show affection and to build bonds with other members of the community. Group-grooming helps to provide a sense of trust, so it plays an important social function in groups of females.

    Mother-Infant Grooming

    • The most frequent form of group grooming that occurs is between mothers and infants. For the first two years, infant orangutans are in perpetual physical contact with the mother. During this time, the mother handles all grooming for the infant, an activity from which the infant derives much pleasure and comfort.

    Imitative Bathing

    • Orangutans are highly imitative creatures. In certain regions where they are exposed to human behavior, orangutans imitate human bathing by washing in streams and sources of water. However, orangutans do not innately resort to water to bathe.

    Technique

    • Orangutans use different body parts -- their lips, tongues, hands and feet -- to groom. Because their hair is very long and shaggy, they easily trap knits and insects, and their hair easily becomes matted and tangled. The orangutan uses its claws, which are very sharp and pointed, to pick the knits, insects, parasites and dried skin. To untangle matted hair, the orangutan licks the affected area and then uses the claws to comb and untangle the hair.