Written by Hannah Trayford The King of the Swingers isn't just a lyric. It's a physics puzzle orangutans solve every day. Did you know that despite weighing between 40–130kg, adult orangutans can move across branches, and ropes, as thin as 4cm? I've watched them do it. They don't just swing; they clamber up trunks, ride the sway of a branch, and oscillate it to bridge gaps in the canopy you're sure they'll never make. These nimble, strategic, graceful movers know how to move

Written by: Serge Wich and Paul Fergus, of Liverpool John Moores University Above the dense forest canopies of Borneo and Sumatra, a silent transformation is taking place to monitor orangutans. For decades, the monitoring of the three critically endangered orangutan species has depended largely on a simple but challenging task: researchers trekking through forests that are rarely easy to walk in to scan for the platforms of branches and twigs that orangutans sleep in. They oc

By Dr Andrea Permana Today feels a little surreal. Back in 2007, on my very first day at Suaq Balimbing in the Leuser Ecosystem, I met and named a young orangutan: Ellie. Today, albeit with a faux name, she is featured in the new Orangutan documentary released by DisneyNature — all grown up, and a mother of two. Seeing her story on screen is genuinely special. It’s a reminder of just how long-term and meaningful these field sites are, we don’t just study animals, we grow alon