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How do orangutans build sleeping platforms in trees?

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An illustration of a female Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) with long reddish-brown fur, hanging from tree branches with one arm extended upward and one leg hooked over a branch. A scale bar at the bottom shows lengths of 30 centimeters and 12 inches for size reference. — orangutan Female orangutans (*Pongo*) have the longest breeding interval of any mammal, giving birth on average once every eight years.

Orangutans are the largest arboreal animals, spending the vast majority of their time in the trees. To rest, they construct a sleeping platform almost every night by bending and breaking branches, twigs, and leaves.1

Unlike African apes, orangutans also frequently utilize vegetation to create a protective covering to shield themselves from the rain.1