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How do orangutans travel through the forest canopy?

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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 more than 90 percent of their waking hours in the trees. To travel through the forest canopy, they typically scramble by using all four hands and feet. Additionally, they occasionally swing through the trees using only their arms, a form of locomotion known as brachiation.1

Their anatomy is well-adapted for this arboreal lifestyle, featuring proportionately long arms, hooklike hands with long fingers, and feet with opposable big toes that function similarly to thumbs. Furthermore, they possess flexible hip joints that allow for similar movement in both their legs and arms.1