Beware in the Bayou: Alligators and Crocodiles Can Climb

You might think of crocodiles lurking in the water or perhaps sunning themselves on a riverbank, but it turns out these toothy reptiles’ domain extends to the upper branches of trees.

A new study in Herpetology Notes documents the surprisingly common tree-climbing behavior in crocodiles and their close cousins, alligators. Even without any special anatomic adaptations for gripping branches, crocodiles often make their way up trees, sometimes going as high as the crown and out onto large limbs.

Source: Here

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Alligator, Alligators, Crocodile, Crocodiles,

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American Alligators, Mugger Crocodiles Use Lures to Hunt Their Prey

US researchers led by Dr Vladimir Dinets from the University of Tennessee have found that two croc species – mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) and American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) – use twigs and sticks to lure birds, particularly during nest-building time.

Their study, published in the journal Ethology, Ecology and Evolution, is the first report of tool use by any reptiles, and also the first known case of predators timing the use of lures to a seasonal behavior of the prey.

Source: Here

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Alligators, american alligators, Crocodile, crocodile lures,

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Crocodiles, Alligators Eat Fruits, Say Biologists

Nile crocodiles, American alligators and other crocodilians enjoy fruits along with their normal meat-heavy diets of mammals, birds, and fish, according to a team of biologists led by Prof Frank Mazzotti from the University of Florida.

Their study, reported in the Journal of Zoology, looked at 18 crocodilian species ranging from the American alligator to the Nile crocodile.

Source: Here

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Alligator, Alligators, Crocodile, Crocodiles,

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