orangutans are good planners
After several years tracking orangutans in the Sumatran swamplands, researchers made some surprising discoveries, they report in the journal PLoS One: Males make travel plans up to 24 hours in advance and share them with nearby orangutans by emitting long, loud calls that can be heard more than a half-mile away.
Their cheek pads act as a funnel, amplifying their calls like a megaphone.
"Males emitted long calls mostly facing the direction they traveled a few hours later, or even after a night's rest," said researcher Karin Isler of the Anthropological Institute and Museum in Zurich. Hearing a call, interested females might come closer to stay in contact, while nondominant males may flee to avoid a confrontation. The orangutans usually traveled about a half-mile a day, often looking for fruit from trees.
There are numerous examples of planning in animal species. A zoo chimpanzee, for example, was observed gathering stones and chunks of concrete before the zoo opened, for later use as ammunition against visitors. In experiments, bonobos and chimpanzees were also found to select and store tools to use in the future. Western scrub jays and Eurasian jays are also known to plan ahead.
Isler said the new study drove home the point "that we should not underestimate these magnificent creatures, and also other animals."
New York Times
Women take a shot at beauty
So long, cosmos. Hello, collagen drinks.
A new breed of cocktail parties has some women pounding shots — but instead of alcohol, they're infused with beauty treatments.
