Researchers in Borneo have recently noticed orangutans walking, which had been a rare sight in the past. From June 2006 to March 2013, researchers have been observing orangutan behavior in Borneo through 16 hidden cameras. These cameras recorded 641 occasions of orangutans walking on the ground. Most of these instances (526) were male orangutans. Walking on the ground enables orangutans to forage for food not accessible in the trees, but it also leaves them vulnerable to hunters. In nearby Sumatra, the orangutans were spotted walking upright in trees, but rarely on the ground. Researchers think that this could be a result of increased human activity in the area. Read the full article here
NOS Themes:
Science is based on evidence: researchers spent 7 years collecting video evidence
Science is collaborative: researchers at 16 different sites worked together to collect evidence.
Very intriguing article. What I wonder is if they have a way of testing the theory about human activity. They have a pretty large sample size but they'd need to observe a control group. One that had no contact with humans. That could be difficult.
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