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How does an adult male orangutan’s throat pouch help produce the long call?

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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.

In adult male orangutans, the throat pouch functions as a resonating chamber that amplifies the "long call," a sequence of roars that can travel up to 2 km (1.2 miles) through the rainforest. This specialized anatomical feature allows the male to project his vocalizations over long distances, which serves to space out other males and attract sexually receptive females.1