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Lion at Utah zoo predicts Patriots as Super Bowl winner

A lion at Salt Lake City's Hogle Zoo is picking the Patriots to win the Super Bowl .

The lion, named Vulcan, has taken over Super Bowl prognosticating duties at the zoo after a Utah ape who gained national fame by accurately predicting the winner for seven years in a row died last year.

Zoo officials say keepers placed two papier-mache helmets in the lion's enclosure Thursday. One was painted with the Seahawks logo and the other the Patriots logo. Officials say Vulcan went straight for the Patriots helmet, pawing at it and then carrying it around in his mouth.

An orangutan named Eli picked seven straight winners of the big game before he died in September at age 24 from complications due to breast cancer.