A mother orangutan and her infant photographed eating unripe female Ficus trichocarpa figs near the Danum Valley Field Centre in Sabah.
Whereas gibbons only eat ripe figs’ orangutans eat both ripe and unripe figs. This means that where the figs are in an accessible location orangutans get first pick of the crop and can out-compete gibbons for limited fruit supplies. However gibbons can move much faster than orangutans and reach many forest locations inaccessible to orangutans- which gives gibbons an advantage where fruit is in small patches or at the end of thin branches.
All photos and information thanks to Shavez Cheema and Chun Xing WONG of 1 Stop Borneo Wildlife
