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Crocodile in Darwin, Australia: Romantic Reptile
Photo: epa / dpa
Staring gaze, scaly skin, and then they lie around lazily all day. Crocodiles really don't look like they have a talent for a sensual love life. But there is a soft core underneath the horn plates, concludes a new study by Australia's University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC): Crocodiles are romantics and have their own "language of love".
To decipher this language of saltwater crocodiles, researcher Sonnie Flores installed cameras and acoustic recording devices in the crocodile enclosures at Australia Zoo as part of a twelve-month project. So she was able to watch some hot flirtations.
How to flirt crocodiles
Crocodile males splash water out of their noses, make hissing noises and create water bubbles to impress their beloved. "And the females love it!" said Flores, who led the study.
According to the Australian broadcaster ABC, ecologist Ross Dwyer compared the behavior to "whales coming to the surface and blowing a jet of water into the air." In male crocodiles, this behavior is a form of courtship. "It's almost as if they're singing a love song to their partner in their enclosure before mating."
Some animals also used their heads as a kind of drums on the water. In addition, there is also a lot of communication below the surface of the water, Dwyer said. Females, for example, like to growl, especially when guarding a nest.
The head of the crocodile research team at Australia Zoo, Toby Millyard, praised the study. The private zoo north of Brisbane was run for many years by TV star Steve Irwin, who became known worldwide with the series "Crocodile Hunter". Since his death in 2006, his widow and their two children, Bindi and Robert Irwin, have continued to run the zoo, which is also the focus of the popular reality show "The Irwins".
"People will never love an animal they don't understand"
"Scientific programs such as acoustic recordings help to paint a more complete picture of crocodiles – not just as these brainless, evil monsters," said researcher Millyard: "People will never love an animal they don't understand. So we want to learn more about how they live, act and interact. That's especially true for crocodiles – they were Steve's great love."
»Crocodile Dictionary« in planning
The researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast are planning a "crocodile dictionary" with the help of their recordings, after all, little was known about the communication of saltwater crocodiles until now.
"We found that crocodiles are probably a bit more social and tolerant of each other than we thought," said researcher Flores. This also raises questions about the impact of a crocodile's removal from its habitat on the larger social hierarchy in the ecosystem. "We've only touched the tip of the iceberg so far," Flores said.
ptz/dpa