Science! By Graham Templeton Feb. 13, 2014 7:31 am
As if things weren’t bad enough! There’s something in the eyes of a crocodile, a look not unlike that you’ll see in the eyes of a great white shark: a lack of emotion, of relatable, conscious thought. These animals have fossil brains, primitive organic machines that no more create a mind like ours than a telegraph conveys the nuance of a phone call. These bundles of conditioned responses are terrifying because their decision-making process is so fundamentally alien to us. Now we have another behavior to puzzle over: crocodiles climb trees.
This is a behavior that has been thought to exist in some extinct species, but is now found in modern crocodillians, too. They scamper up fallen trees and larger branches with their frankly ill-suited reptilian limbs, sliding their bellies up to sit on arboreal outcroppings, but always with water safely underneath. If the croc falls, it can simply swim away — an advantage that seems to be central to the climbing behavior itself.
The researchers found that high-sitting crocs scrambled away from them much more quickly than their land-lubbing brothers, simply rolling off and slipping beneath the surface. They saw no such disparity in flee distance at night; they conclude that crocodiles perch in trees to get a better view of their surroundings.
Remember, though, that reptiles are cold-blooded. Basking in the sun is a huge part of a crocodile’s life, and basking up high could help with access to the direct sunlight needed to warm the body each day. There were no observed examples of* a crocodile falling down to attack an unwary swimmer below, but it’s hard to imagine that a crocodile wouldn’t take advantage of such a situation if it occurred on its own.
Baby and juvenile crocodiles have been known to climb as well, sometimes running up reeds and other thin plants when they’re small and light. This has extra utility for young reptiles, since they’re still very vulnerable to predators; while in this vulnerable stage of life, young crocs have been reported to cling to and hang from weeds like chameleons.
The behavior seems very widespread. In some areas of the Nile, crocodiles were as common in trees as many individual species of bird. Deal with that, while you try to sleep tonight.
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This is a behavior that has been thought to exist in some extinct species, but is now found in modern crocodillians, too. They scamper up fallen trees and larger branches with their frankly ill-suited reptilian limbs, sliding their bellies up to sit on arboreal outcroppings, but always with water safely underneath. If the croc falls, it can simply swim away — an advantage that seems to be central to the climbing behavior itself.
The researchers found that high-sitting crocs scrambled away from them much more quickly than their land-lubbing brothers, simply rolling off and slipping beneath the surface. They saw no such disparity in flee distance at night; they conclude that crocodiles perch in trees to get a better view of their surroundings.
Remember, though, that reptiles are cold-blooded. Basking in the sun is a huge part of a crocodile’s life, and basking up high could help with access to the direct sunlight needed to warm the body each day. There were no observed examples of* a crocodile falling down to attack an unwary swimmer below, but it’s hard to imagine that a crocodile wouldn’t take advantage of such a situation if it occurred on its own.Baby and juvenile crocodiles have been known to climb as well, sometimes running up reeds and other thin plants when they’re small and light. This has extra utility for young reptiles, since they’re still very vulnerable to predators; while in this vulnerable stage of life, young crocs have been reported to cling to and hang from weeds like chameleons.
The behavior seems very widespread. In some areas of the Nile, crocodiles were as common in trees as many individual species of bird. Deal with that, while you try to sleep tonight.
More...
