The juvenile Bornean Orangutan at the Paris Zoo is almost four years old. Java was born on 17 October 2018 to her mother Theodora. Theodora watches Java as she plays on the ropes and beams.

The Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is a great ape and a primate mammal in the Hominidae family.

It is native to the rain forests of Borneo. It is arboreal, living in trees. 

It builds a nest in a tree. The female Bornean Orangutan is pregnant for 9 months, before giving birth to one young. It is usually eight years before she has her next baby. The mother will carry her baby on her belly for the first four months. When the baby is about two years old, it will hold hands with other Orangutans, to assist it to walk, especially for longer durations. 

It lives, on average, for about 30 years, but Nanette, the oldest Bornean Orangutan in the Paris Zoo, is now more than 50 years old.

Location of photographs: Paris Zoo, France

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM