Happy Halloween

Hamburg Zoo gives orangutans a pumpkin for a Halloween treat. (Via Jezebel.)

And some Halloween poems.

Orangutans H2O

Orangutans aren't known to dig water. But it turns out that water can bring out the structural engineer, fisherman, and even the swimmer in our hairy orange friends.

Orangutans for peace

From BBC Earth News: "A captive Bornean orangutan has been seen acting as a peacemaker, breaking up fights between other warring apes."

There's a video of it, but to be honest, I would never guess what's going on without the story as context. But it turns out orangutans are recluses in the wild, so "peacemaking" isn't something they do naturally. Because they don't have to. But stick some in captivity and they apparently learn this skill. Maybe we need to send them on some diplomatic missions to the Middle East.

Via Boing Boing.

Thanks, Laura, for the tip.