With their bright eyes and prominent beards and mustaches, it’s easy to see how orangutans got their name; “orang” is Malay for person, while “hutan” means forest. Their similarity to humans doesn’t stop there. Researchers have observed a male orangutan treat a wound on his face with a plant that’s also used in human medicine.
It’s the first time any wild animal has been seen caring for a wound using a natural substance with known medicinal properties, researchers report May 2 in Scientific Reports.
On June 25, 2022, field biologist Ulil Azhari was observing a Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) named Rakus in the Suaq Balimbing research area of Indonesia’s
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