TOOL-USING REPTILES--WHAT A CROC!

A 2014 article in the journal "Ethology Ecology and Evolution" indicates that certain crocodilians, namely Indian mugger crocodiles and American alligators, have developed the use of sticks as tools--specifically, as bait. 

Some birds, primarily egrets, build their nests near crocodilian-infested waters, as the presence of the reptiles scares off other predators. With the exception of an occasional chick which falls into the water, most egrets know how to avoid getting too close to the leathery leviathans of lethality that they seek out as guardians.

However, certain crocs and gators intentionally lie motionless on the surface with balanced sticks upon their heads and, if they have to move, they do so deliberately in such a fashion that the sticks do not fall off. An unwary egret, desperately looking for sticks for nest building, will reach down to the herptile's head for the bait stick with tragic consequences. Zoologists have further noted that the habit of wearing sticks by the reptiles abates if not totally ceases when nest building season is over.

Those of us who enjoy alligators and crocodiles have known for years that they are probably the most intelligent of reptiles. Their maternal instincts are strong (try digging up a nest of croc eggs if you dispute this assertion), and the mama croc takes care of the crockettes long after their hatching. A bunch (actually, the correct collective noun is "bask") of crocodiles will attack a large animal, and, when the prey has been killed, the participants will politely line up single file with each one taking a chomp off of the carcass in an orderly procession. A crocodile and his buddies will circle a school of fish and force the school into a tight ball where the individual reptiles will then, again in orderly fashion, swim through the center of the sphere of fishes and gulp down a meal. In a scene reminiscent of the stalking patterns of velociraptors demonstrated in the Jurassic Park film series, a single crocodile or alligator often will drive a large prey animal towards other crocodilians lying in ambush. It is thus not surprising that alligators and crocodiles have the street smarts to be master baiters.

Therefore, if you softly and surreptitiously steer your skiff into the Stygian shallows of certain southern swamps late at night, you perhaps may hear some of the the gators gently crooning, "Egrets, I've had a few, but then again..."