In the wild, this arboreal ability helps them find food, avoid predators and navigate through the trees. But until now, scientists didn't know whether urban orangutans also benefited from the acrobatic skills.

Orangutans that can vine swing are more likely to survive and have more offspring than those that cannot

Researchers found that orangutans in the city of Pontianak, Indonesia, who were able to swing from tree to tree were more likely to survive and have more offspring than those who could not. This is because vine swinging allows orangutans to access food and shelter more easily and to avoid predators.

The study was published in the journal Biology Letters.

Researchers believe that the ability to vine swing is a learned skill that orangutans may develop in response to the challenges of living in an urban environment

"Our findings suggest that vine swinging is an important skill for orangutans living in urban areas," lead author Dr. Susan Cheyne said. "This skill may help them to adapt to the challenges of living in a fragmented and degraded environment."

The researchers also found that male orangutans were more likely to swing from vines than females and that orangutans that lived near roads were less likely to swing from vines.

Dr. Cheyne believes this is because male orangutans are more likely to be involved in territorial disputes and therefore need to be able to move quickly and efficiently through the trees. She also believes that orangutans that live near roads are more likely to be disturbed by traffic and therefore may not be able to practice vine swinging as often.

The findings of this study suggest that conservation efforts should focus on preserving habitats that allow orangutans to swing from vines

This could include creating protected areas with large trees and providing corridors of trees that allow orangutans to move between different forest fragments.