Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

Next, we have Pongo pygmaeus, otherwise known as the Orangutan. From its name one may guess that orangutan comes from the word orange; this is incorrect.  “Orangutan” is a Malay word for “forest people” or “man of the forest”. Inhabiting the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia and Malaysia, the orangutan spends most of its time in the tree tops. Their coloring is anywhere between orange to reddish-orange to maroon. In Meltmount™ 1.662, notice the narrow, fragmented medulla in both transmitted light and crossed polarizers; both images were taken at X300 (Figure 6 and 7).

click image to enlarge (127K) Figure 6

click image to enlarge (137K) Figure 7

The orangutan hair with crossed polarizers shows relatively high birefringence (Figure 7). Examination of the cross-section reveals a circular shape with a medium-size medulla. Also notice the lighter brown area showing the pigmentation. The medullary index calculated out to 0.35. The image was taken at X150 (Figure 8).

click image to enlarge (277K) Figure 8

From the scale cast of this sample you will notice the prominent, irregular wave pattern; the margins are near, with crenate edges (Figure 9). The SEM shows that the width of this sample is ~127 µm and has 10 to 15 scales per 100 µm (Figure 10).

click image to enlarge (142K) Figure 9

click image to enlarge (269K) Figure 10