no fucking way
I thought crocs were so dumb, they simply tried to eat anything that caught their eye. Now they're learning?
What's next?!?
Nah Crocodilians (the group containing all 23 extant species of crocodile, aligator, caiman etc) are actually really smart, they're just a PAIN IN THE ASS to study in the wild because they're stealthy, don't eat or move that often relative to mammals, and are largely nocturnal. That said, we've found evidence of:
Coordinated Group Hunting across many species of crocodilian- AKA, hunting like a pack of wolves.
Advanced Parental Care- we knew for a long time that American alligators and Gharials built nests and mothers kept their young close, but GPS tracking has shown that the father(s) also typically stuck around and brought mom kills, but the young stay inside the territory of their parents for 3-5 years, until they reach sexual maturity.
Nile crocodiles dig enormous and surprisingly complex burrows up to 40 feet deep that they share with other crocodiles- parents and children, but also adult siblings and Unrelated "Friends"- crocs that are frequently seen close together outside as well, but do not appear to be mates. many of these burrows are decades, if not centuries old, are actively maintained, and passed down through generations.
Amazon Caiman (a type of alligator) recognize individual humans (possibly by voice), and alter their behavior around them based on past interactions. Some of them become quite playful with humans they've had positive interactions with in the past, and others hold "grudges" against specific humans for decades.
All Crocodilians engage in all major types of play behavior- Locomotor play (engaging in a behavior because it brings positive stimulation), playing with toys (Sticks, leaves, carcass, and in one paper, a floating squeaky toy that had gotten into the Bayou) and social play (Playing with other individuals). Several species, but notable Caiman and Alligators also Play with animals outside their species- young caiman have been observed playing with Amazon Giant River Otters, and Alligators playing with sharks and dolphings off the US Gulf coast. Play behavior is associated with a high degree of intelligence in animals.
Male Saltwater crocodiles in Australia employ a variety of complex mating strategies, including offering courtship gifts (tailored to the preferences of individual females), sucking up to larger males to get better introductions to females (A Long-Term strategy that pays dividends- while the beta males don't typically mate the first two or three years they try it, the ones that stick with the strategy mate with more females as they age), and doing "Off years" where they pass on the fighting and displaying and just nap and get fat instead- another strategy that pays off long-term: Big Males that engage in Off-Years mated more in On years, and lived longer overall, for a larger lifetime genetic impact.
Many zoos have had success in training captive crocodilians to do "tricks"- mostly pose behaviors that let keepers examine, vaccinate or medically treat the animal with minimal stress on all sides. But they're also apparently good at "Sit up" and "Roll over".
And as far as "Trying to eat anything that caught their eye"- pretty much all carnivores, but especially crocodilians, make pretty complex calculations on whether or not to pursue something as prey based on, but not limited to: How hungry they are, what the future prospects for food are based on the weather/season/behavior of their prey/how many other carnivores are competing with them, the likelihood of injury (either in the process of hunting, or from the prey itself), and whether the effort expended is going to be worth the reward (based on projected strategies, how full eating something like that made them last time, and if they're going to suffer weird consequences for it).
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