Territory crocs at Cahills Crossing display unique fish catching method
It’s behaviour never before recorded in the animal kingdom ... anywhere in the world.
But as it turns out the Northern Territory’s crocodiles are leaders of sorts in more ways than one.
And it’s not just their knack of making it onto the front page of the NT News more than any other creature on this planet.
A photograph taken at Cahills Crossing recently shows a saltwater crocodile seemingly floating on water with its arms angled out wide as though in open arms. The claws point upwards towards the sky.
The NT News enlisted the trusted knowledge of crocodile expert and esteemed professor of all matters reptilian, Grahame Webb, who said he too was perplexed by the “special behaviour” displayed.
“It’s very unusual. It looks like some kind of herding behaviour ... and I have not seen it done anywhere else,” he said.
“Maybe there are examples elsewhere of something similar but to me this is special behaviour, and I have only heard about it at Cahills Crossing.”
Lots of crocs hanging around Cahills Crossing .... Wait for it!0:53
Lots of crocs hanging around Cahills Crossing .... Wait for it! Video courtesy Katie Sartori
Mr Webb, who is in Johannesburg for an animal sustainability think tank, said it appeared the crocodile was undertaking some kind of “herding behaviour” in a bid to capture passing fish.
“... it’s floating with its hands sticking out, looks like a metre either side,” he said.
“It’s some sort of herding behaviour that if they come into contact with something they can snap at it instantly as they are going along and bump into fish. They can snap at it without biting their arm.
“So they can swing their head around and grab the fish without grabbing the arm.
“It’s quite unique.”
Originally published as Bizarre croc behaviour ‘never seen before’