Findings of a new study revealed that crocodiles are cleverer than previously thought and can be very shrewd hunters.
Vladimir Dinets, a research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology first began his observations of crocodiles in 2007 when he saw two crocodilian species (muggers and American alligators) lying in shallow water in a pond in India, covering their snouts with twigs and small sticks. Apparently, the reptiles used this technique to fool nest-building birds and other prey into thinking the twigs were floating in the water. The crocodiles lay still until the birds neared to pick up the sticks before the reptiles caught them with one quick movement, according to a press release.
Dinets along with a team of researchers conducted further studies to determine whether this stick-displaying technique was a form of clever predation. For this, they observed a set of crocodiles for a period of one year across four different locations. The crocodiles were placed in rookeries, a bird's breeding ground. Researchers observed that during nest-building time, which is between March to May, alligators displayed more twigs and sticks to cover their snouts. Even in non-rookery sites, the reptile used the same technique to lure birds in during nest-building season.
"This study changes the way crocodiles have historically been viewed," said Dinets. "They are typically seen as lethargic, stupid and boring but now they are known to exhibit flexible multimodal signaling, advanced parental care and highly coordinated group hunting tactics."
The new discovery may also shed light on how the reptile's distinct relative - the dinosaur behaved. Researchers also speculate that this strategically planned hunting technique may be more common across the reptilian group.
"Our research provides a surprising insight into previously unrecognized complexity of extinct reptile behavior," said Dinets. "These discoveries are interesting not just because they show how easy it is to underestimate the intelligence of even relatively familiar animals, but also because crocodilians are a sister taxon of dinosaurs and flying reptiles."
This clever nature of the crocodile may have been one of the contributing factors to the reptile's survival among dinosaurs. Though modern crocodiles live in freshwater habitats and eat fish and mammals, their prehistoric ancestors had a far more diverse array of feeding modes and morphologies. Some ran around like dogs on land, while others lived in the open oceans, efficient in capturing underwater prey in a similar manner to a modern day killer whale. The ancient crocodile represented a considerably diverse ecology, according to the researchers, yet their "macroevolutionary patterns remain unexplored" according to a Phys.org report.
