Certain Species of Crocodiles can Climb Trees

Crocodiles aren't lazy creatures that bask in the sun all day long. According to a new study, some species of these reptiles can climb trees.

There are several stories about how people climb up trees to escape a hungry crocodile. However, researchers have found that certain species of crocodiles can move up the branches and reach as far as four meters high on a tree, despite lacking morphological features that support climbing behaviour.  The study was conducted by researchers atthe  University of Tennessee and colleagues.

"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."

Vladimir Dinets and colleagues observed the behaviour of crocodiles living on three continents- Australia, Africa and North America and even looked at previous studies on crocs to see if there were any reports of tree- climbing crocodilians.

It turns out that at least four species of crocodilians could climb trees. Also, smaller crocodiles are better climbers than larger ones.

Why crocodiles climb trees?

Dinets and colleagues believe that the tree-climbing behaviour is linked with thermoregulation and surveillance.

"The most frequent observations of tree-basking were in areas where there were few places to bask on the ground, implying that the individuals needed alternatives for regulating their body temperature," the authors wrote. "Likewise, their wary nature suggests that climbing leads to improved site surveillance of potential threats and prey."

The study is published in the journal Herpetology Notes.

Clever Crocodiles

Previous research on crocodilians- including crocodiles, caimans and alligators- found that they use tools such as twigs and branches to set a trap for birds. These reptiles hold a twig to attract a nesting bird. As soon as the bird gets too close, the reptile attacks it. What's even more interesting is that this behaviour isn't isolated to one species; alligators in the U.S. and marsh crocodiles in India use this twig trick to lure birds. They exclusively use the tool during a specific time of the year.