Sunday, April 27, 2014
The crocodile man
There is a truly amazing story of a man in Coasta Rica who The crocodile man a has developed a bond like no other with an American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus). Tito is a Costa Rican native who rescued a crocodile that got shot by a local farmer for attacking its cattle. Tito rehabilitated the crocodile for 3 years and not once did the crocodile try and bite him. During this time a bond was being formed, Tito says they the crocodile not only needed food but also a feeling of connection and love. Tito named the crocodile "Pocho" which means a big strong hansom man. The relationship has been going on for more than twenty years and recently ended in 2011 with Pocho's Death. never before has a man been able to swim with a 16 foot crocodile. The documentary is amazing and I highly recommend watching the whole thing. It teaches people how little we truly understand nature. American crocodiles are known to be the one of the lesser aggressive species of crocodiles but is still known to attack humans especially small children. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PefKwpNynyc
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Amazing!
This was so cool! I love seeing these kinds of unexpected relationships between humans and animals. I watched a documentary not too long about bonds between humans and animals that we consider to be dangerous.
Although this isn't about a herp, here's an example of a hippo and a man who have a truly incredible relationship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWgB1hyOHWc
I agree with Ashley, so often we hear of the negative impacts that humans are having on animals, its always a breathe of fresh air to see a human and wild animal having a mutually beneficial relationship. These stories are increasingly popular, the 'lion whisperer' Kevin Richardson is one of my favorites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9lH-B_yDyc
I agree with Ashley, so often we hear of the negative impacts that humans are having on animals, its always a breathe of fresh air to see a human and wild animal having a mutually beneficial relationship. These stories are increasingly popular, the 'lion whisperer' Kevin Richardson is one of my favorites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9lH-B_yDyc
But the 'crocodile man' is unique since it is not a mammal like the hippo and lion. We discussed in class how one of the linking characteristics of Archosauria (Crocodilia and Aves)is their complex social behavior. Parental care and complicated vocalizations are evidence of this complexity but based on the crocodile man's bond with this crocodile the emotional capacity is likely greater than we ever anticipated.
Hey Jake! I loved this article. I wanted to you comment and say how relevant this blog is to our studying for our final tomorrow. Crocodiles are in the family crocodilia and and they are coupled with the group aves which make up the clade Archosauria. This clade has some synapomorphies that make them unique from lepidosauria. Including having gizzards, and no gall bladder, and longitudinal cloacal openings, their synapomorphies also include complex behaviors. This article that explains how a relationship was formed between the man and this animal is a quintessential example of how this synapomorphy has been tested and confirmed in a real world application. Good find!
Post a Comment