Scientists have made an intriguing discovery about the behavior of crocodiles when they hear a human baby crying. According to the New York Times, crocodiles are highly interested in the sound of a baby crying because they associate it with the possibility of a meal. As Smithsonian explains, the cries act as a “dinner bell” for the crocs. However, in some cases, the crocodiles responded in a protective manner, suggesting a universal parental instinct.
The researchers conducted an experiment at a crocodile park in Morocco, where they placed loudspeakers and played recordings of crying babies from different species, including humans, chimps, and bonobos. The crocodiles reacted by approaching the speakers underwater, exhibiting predatory behavior and even biting the devices. Interestingly, in one instance, a crocodile attempted to defend the loudspeaker from other crocodiles, indicating a protective response.
Another intriguing finding, as reported by Live Science, is that crocodiles appear to be better than humans at discerning genuine distress in babies. While humans rely on pitch, crocodiles focus on sound frequency. This means that crocs accurately distinguish between real distress and false alarms. For example, the cries of bonobo infants, which are at a high pitch, often lead humans to overestimate their distress. However, crocodiles only responded to cries of authentic anguish.
Nicolas Grimault of the French National Centre for Scientific Research described the crocodiles’ ability to interpret primate baby cries as unexpected and fascinating. In fact, crocodiles are more adept at gathering information from cries than humans. The team published their findings in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, stating that the acoustic features that drive crocodile reactions are likely more reliable markers of distress than those used by humans.
One limitation of the study, noted by the Times, is that researchers couldn’t determine the gender of the responding crocodiles, which could have provided further insights into their behavior. Overall, this research sheds light on the fascinating abilities of crocodiles to interpret and respond to baby cries.
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