When it comes to ambushing prey, alligators and crocodiles reign supreme. Lying perfectly still in the water until their prey comes within striking distance, when hunting, alligators are successful over 50% of the time--that’s more than most predators. Alligators are efficient in both underwater and shore-line hunting, but how can a single species be so successful? This creature is the last surviving dinosaur, so it must be doing something right.
Originally thought to be unintelligent, alligators and crocodiles are beginning to surprise scientists and biologists. Recently, these resourceful reptiles have been documented using sticks and twigs to lure in winged prey. If you happen to see a bundle of sticks floating casually towards you while taking an airboat ride, don’t reach for it! Like a chimpanzee fishing for termites in a mound, American alligators and mugger crocodiles have been using sticks to fish for birds. This is the first instance in which reptiles have been consistently recorded using tools.
A researcher from the University of Tennessee, Dr. Vladimir Dinets, comments, “This study changes the way crocodiles have historically been viewed. They are typically seen as lethargic, stupid, and boring but now they are known to exhibit flexible multimodal signalling, advanced parental care, and highly-coordinated group hunting tactics.”
A study was conducted in Louisiana by Dr. Dinets and his colleagues, during which they monitored the reptiles’ habits around two rookeries where spoonbills, white ibis, great egrets, and snowy egrets nest. The alligators were observed collecting and masterfully balancing twigs across their snout. The sticks would lure the birds within striking distance and with lightning reflexes, the alligators and crocodiles would attack. Even if the alligator needed to adjust its position, it did so in such a way that the sticks did not fall.
This behavior seems to only take place between the months of March and June--the birds’ breeding season. During nesting season, sticks are in short supply, so the birds are desperate to build their nests--some desperate enough to tempt fate with the planet’s most ancient predators. Because of the tropical climate, the mugger crocs in India appear to perform this behavior all year; juvenile alligators and crocodiles were not observed using this strategy, maybe because their snouts are too small to hold the sticks in place.
This is an impressive finding. It not only indicates the first time a large predator has used an object to lure in its prey, but it also displays the predator taking its prey’s seasonal habits into account, only using sticks during the desperate nesting season. The next time you’re on a Wild Florida airboat ride, observe the animals, see if you can identify them using tools and being resourceful in their natural environment. For additional information on tours, contact Wild Florida today.
Along with the use of tools, there have also been other cases where crocodiles have been seen catching sharks and bringing them on land to kill them rather than attempting to drown them. Do you think alligators and crocodiles are smarter than they’ve previously been portrayed? Share your insights.
