In a mouth-gaping result of a study by Vladimir Dinets and his team, it was found out that certain species of crocodile can climb trees. You heard it right, crocodiles can indeed climb and perch on the limbs of trees.
In a report called as Herpetology Notes, four species of crocodiles were identified as able to climb trees. Some were spotted to have climb up to 13 feet above the ground, and as far as 16 feet down a branch.
Well, doesn’t that you give you chills? Crocodiles are already dangerous wading in the waters, what more can they do from up above the trees? Just imagine….
Furthermore, Dinets and his colleagues also observed that smaller crocodilians were able to climb higher and further than the larger ones. "Climbing a steep hill or steep branch is mechanically similar, assuming the branch is wide enough to walk on," the authors wrote. "Still, the ability to climb vertically is a measure of crocodiles' spectacular agility on land."
This tree climbing and basking habit is believed to be due to two reasons: thermoregulation and surveillance of habitat. Usually, crocodile species with this ability are found in areas where there is less ground to bask on, which urges these animals to find alternatives to regulate their body temperature. In a way, this also improves surveillance of both threats and prey.
This tree climbing and basking habit is believed to be due to two reasons: thermoregulation and surveillance of habitat. Usually, crocodile species with this ability are found in areas where there is less ground to bask on, which urges these animals to find alternatives to regulate their body temperature. In a way, this also improves surveillance of both threats and prey.
More of these crocodile facts can be found in Dinets’ “Herpetology Notes” and his book called “Dragon Songs”. Vladimir Dinets is a research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology in the University of Tennessee.
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment