The New England Patriots must be hoping that Acara, an orangutan at Utah’s Hogle Zoo, knows how to pick winners more like her dad than her brother.

Acara entered her pen tentatively Thursday, checking out two paper mache helmets set out by her keepers: one for the New England Patriots, the other for the Philadelphia Eagles, their opponent Sunday evening’s Super Bowl.

She moseyed over to the Patriot helmet and grabbed its face mask, making New England her choice to win the big game — to the dismay of much of the small crowd assembled for the annual event.

If 12-year-old Acara inherited any soothsayer genes from her father, Eli, the Patriots can feel more secure as they seek their sixth Super Bowl title. Eli was seven-for-seven in his picks.

After Eli died two years ago, his son Tuah took over. But Tuah flopped, coming up wrong on both of his selections. So zoo officials switched this year to Acara, knowing she was more mature than her 8-year-old brother and figuring she’s better suited to getting it right.

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