When people think of complex tools, they often associate
them with humans and possibly monkeys. Using objects to trick other organisms
is extremely rare among the animal kingdom. However, there have been some unreliable records of crocodilians using objects as temptation. Saltwater crocodiles
have been rumored to use leftover fish in order to entice birds and Mugger
crocodiles have been said to place sticks across their snout and wait for birds
to approach. It remains unclear if these reports of tool use among crocodilians
are accidental or intentional.
Researchers observed four different areas in Louisiana for
one year a few hours after sunrise.
Site 1:
Lake with Egrets
Site 2:
Same lake; 2 km from Egrets
Site 3:
Lake with Egrets, Spoonbills, Ibis
Site 4:
Same lake; 1 km from birds
Researchers compared the prevalence of alligators with
sticks on their snouts between the nest building season and the following
six-week period for Sites One and Three. They also compared the differences
between the sites with birds and without birds during the nest-building season.
The stick-displaying behavior was only recorded during the
birds’ breeding season, more specifically during the nest-building season. During this
time, the alligators at Sites 1 and 3 (near the birds) were much more likely to
display this behavior than the alligators living away from the birds.
This paper is very significant because this is the first
claim that any reptile 1) uses complex tools 2) exploits the seasonal behavior
of prey. Although researchers do not know any details regarding the
factors that stimulate the stick-displaying behavior, this is a huge step for
herpetology. Historically, herps have been looked at in a negative light.
However, this discovery shows how advanced reptiles truly are. It will be
interesting to uncover the methods crocodilians use once more research is
conducted. This discovery could have interesting implications for dinosaurs
since crocodilians are a sister taxon.
2 comments:
Amazing! Thanks for sharing this!
What an interesting article! The animal kingdom never ceases to amaze me with how advanced animals really are. It is so cool to see crocodiles using their environment to attract prey. This is definitely a topic that scientists should further explore because it might lead to a better understanding of behaviors in not only herps, but also dinosaurs as you point out.
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