Titan is a big flanged male who loves to shake and push over trees to make his appearance even more impressive.

We first saw Titan in 2011 when he was only passing the research area. After Islo fell from his throne in 2014, however, Titan took over the whole Northern part of the Suaq study area. Titan was well respected by the females and also did a great job in chasing away males that would bother them. The females were always a bit reluctant to get too close to Titan but would still search for his protection when needed.

Over the following two years, Titan had grown even more and became one of the biggest flanged males at Suaq.  Since 2016 Titan seemed to have retreated more and more to the North. We are not sure how far his territory reaches up there but up to date, he seems to be the undefeated ruler of the North.

These days, Titan looks older than he used to and his once-so-beautiful flanges have become a bit bumpy and saggy. However, he still occasionally visits our study area, often confidently marking his presence with multiple long calls. In 2022, when Rakus announced his claim to the Suaq area, Titan quickly came to confront him. Even though Titan took off after their interaction – which indicates his defeat – Rakus was left with a big wound in his face. We did not see the actual fight between the males, but Titan likely inflicted the wound on Rakus.

Studying Titan, especially his interactions with the local females and with the other flanged males provides us with important insight into orangutan male behavior and male-female interactions.