The photo has garnered much attention on social media, and is expected to be included in the next edition of "Nature of Things" magazine. In recognition, the magazine released the following extract of their peice.
"It’s calm and quiet at the moment, but during spring and summer these umbrellas burst open in anticipation of finding a mate. Their large, circular canopy spreads wide to capture the rays of the sun, and in preparation for the following winter, bird droppings that will sustain them during hibernation."
"Normally docile creatures, they can however present a risk to unsuspecting animals that shelter under them; any unwanted touching or movement will see the umbrella collapse, enveloping their victim under them like a blanket thrown over a chair. But this rarely results in death and is more of a deterrent, with most victims able to free themselves after a brief struggle, and the loss of a chunk of ego."
"A very territorial animal, you rarely see it travel beyond it's table which it guards jealously, its canopy acting as a barrier to any other umbrella that seeks to infringe on its space. Only during these quiet winter months do we sometimes see two or more umbrellas close together, comfortably huddled together in the hope of preserving body warmth."
"It is a wonder then how common they have become throughout the world. Being territorial they don't migrate en masse as say the buffalo or many bird species, yet they have managed to appear in nearly every country that has a café, almost as if they are drawn to smells and sounds of cosmopolitan life. How then do these near stationary creatures travel so far? To that, we look to the wind."
