If you see an Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) at a zoo, they'll probably be carrying around a large piece of cardboard or a blanket like the one from the Philadelphia Zoo pictured above. The reason for this seems to be that orangs normally live in a forested, enclosed habitat and prefer to have something over their heads, and if there are no trees they'll work with what they have. Chimpanzees, too, like to have cover over their heads in the wild and largely fear open spaces like savannas, the population at Mt. Assirik in Senegal being an exception as they move in large mixed-sex groups over the savanna to water sources. Still, even though the Mt. Assirik chimps can cross open areas they still fear them and waste no time out on the savanna.
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Iridomyrmex reburrus
You will recall my post: A genetic cause of rapid degeneration in some Alzheimer's patients. Well, now it (the topic) is a Ted Video.
tags: researchblogging.org, evolution,
There are good evolutionary reasons for that:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowned_Hawk-eagle
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060830005634.htm
Thanks Tom; I actually just mentioned this in my term paper. Crowned Hawk Eagles, though, live in the forest, carnivoran predators being more of a danger out in the open. Still, I was shocked when I heard about birds of prey feeding on primates, and it's something that often isn't given much thought.