Crocodiles Push Dog In River To Safety Instead Of Eating It

A pet dog in India faced a few crocodiles in a river and lived to inform the tale, thanks to what scientists counsel could’ve been a screen of “emotional empathy” on the portion of the reptiles.

In a paper published late final thirty day period in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, researchers described the shocking incident involving a pet and a trio of mugger crocodiles ― also identified as marsh crocodiles ― in the Savitri River in Maharashtra, India.

In observations for a prolonged-expression review on muggers in their natural habitat, the scientists described that a “young dog” was chased into the river by a pack of feral canine. Waiting around in the shallow drinking water had been three grownup crocodiles that “could have easily devoured” the canine.

The crocodiles approached the canine, but alternatively of attacking, two of them guided the doggy not only out of the river, but away from the bank in which the aggressive feral dogs were being waiting around.

“These crocodiles were being really touching the canine with their snout and nudging it to transfer more for a protected ascent on the financial institution and ultimately escape,” wrote Utkarsha M. Chavan and Manoj R. Borkar, of India’s Hazarimal Somani Higher education and Carmel School of Arts, Science and Commerce for Women, respectively.

The researchers never know why the crocodiles pushed the pet dog to safety, while they did take note that it seemed the animals’ “hunger drive was absent.” They also speculated that the conduct could be proof of “cross species ‘emotional empathy’” in the reptiles.

That reported, the scientists did observe that on two other situations, crocodiles in the river “preyed upon” stray pet dogs.

Elsewhere, the paper describes other crocodile behaviors they say advantage additional investigation. The reptiles appeared to perform jointly to hunt fish and had been viewed balancing sticks on their snouts in an obvious work to entice the birds they try to eat, which use sticks as nesting product.

And in just one particularly “intriguing” observation, the crocodiles appeared to have an affinity for marigold bouquets, which are tossed into the river as portion of regional funeral rites. The animals on a regular basis “floated, basked, and lay in the vicinity” of the flowers, “often with a physical get in touch with.” The researchers noted that marigolds have antibacterial homes that could be helpful.

Reptile biologist Duncan Leitch of the College of California, Los Angeles, who is not affiliated with the investigate, cautioned against examining too considerably into the observations.

“Crocodilians do have a refined suite of behaviors,” he told LiveScience. But he warned versus interpreting their conduct from an “anthropomorphic perspective” or “trying to ascribe talents that they potentially might not have.”

For their element, the paper’s authors condition that their observations advise a better require to analyze crocodile cognition ― and that it is probable the animals are more intelligent than men and women have long thought.

“Reptiles have been underestimated as considerably as animal cognition is anxious, potentially due to a skewed impact that they are lethargic and at the most reflex equipment … because of to the little dimensions and straightforward composition of their mind,” they wrote in the paper’s summary. “All in all, investigation in reptilian cognition hasn’t progressed substantially due to this sort of biases.”