Do crocodiles pretend to drown to lure people to them? Analysis of a popular video (8 photos + 1 video)
If you see someone desperately waving their arms in the water, don't rush to save the drowning person! It could be a crocodile! At least that's what they say on the Internet. 
The video below has spread across the Internet at the speed of light. There's a note to it: this is how the cunning reptile lures compassionate rescuers into the water to eat them. Is it true? The auditors of the Book of Animals are already here to figure out the insidious plans of cold-blooded predators.
Alas, there won't be a long and meticulous investigation. We'll answer right away: a crocodile wouldn't even think of luring someone into the water. Especially in this way. At least because they don't really have these thoughts. Crocodylomorphs are incredibly ancient dudes. They appeared on earth about 230 million years ago - even before the reign of dinosaurs! And they were so perfect for their time, so perfectly adapted to their habitat, that they didn't want to evolve. They just didn't need to!
I've seen a T-Rex walk under the table!
For hundreds of millions of years, the brain of crocodiles has hardly changed. And in the Cretaceous period, there were no academics. The intelligence of such ancient reptiles, although not bad for their time, is not very high by modern standards. All this pushes the insightful reader to the conclusion: the hypothetical alligator Gennady cannot plan such a treacherous deception.
Most often, crocodiles pretend to be a floating log, after which they suddenly attack the prey. The tactics are simple, but no less effective!
But let's leave the crocodile's intelligence aside and approach it from a different angle. Why would reptiles eat you? Firstly, humans are big, or more precisely, tall. And animals have an unspoken rule: the bigger you are, the stronger you are. No predator wants to mess with strong prey - it can backfire. Secondly, there are plenty of more convenient potential food around: fish, mammals coming to drink, waterfowl, canned turtles and other goodies. There is simply no point in a crocodile luring you to itself.
This guy's diet is more varied than ours! Why would he need us?
And most importantly: people drown waving their arms only in the movies! In reality, a drowning person spends all their energy trying not to sink to the bottom. That's why the process usually looks like the head pops up for a short time, then goes under water again. The head! Not the arms.
This is NOT what drowning people do. This is what Arnold Schwarzeneggers do, slowly sinking into hot metal.
But why does the animal in the video wave its paws so funny? There are many reasons for this. Maybe it's dying. Well, this happens with crocodiles, unfortunately. Leave the poor thing alone! Or maybe just frolicking in the warm water. Reptiles may not be able to come up with a bloodthirsty plan to lure people, but they are no strangers to fun. There is also a chance that the predator is currently eating someone: crocodile-like creatures rotate around their own axis so that the future meal chokes faster.
But there are cases when crocodiles really do put their paws on the surface of the water in a funny way. And they do this to hunt. True, not for people. But for fish.
When the teacher made a bad joke during the exam and is waiting for your reaction.
The unusual behavior was first noticed in the crocodile caimans inhabiting the Amazon River basin. And then it was discovered on the opposite half of the globe - in saltwater crocodiles in Australia and in marsh crocodiles inhabiting the territory of the Hindustan Peninsula and Sri Lanka. Drifting in the water column, the reptiles spread their limbs wide. It turned out that they were fishing like that!
Stop, don't move! It's the fish police!
Such behavior is observed in predators during drought, when the water level drops, and the number of fish per cubic meter increases. By spreading its stumps, the crocodile occupies a larger area. This helps it in fishing - the entire surface of the toothy hunters' bodies is covered with receptors, with the help of which they sense the vibrations of the water created by the fish.
Today only! Free hugs for all fish!
When a potential catch swims in the immediate vicinity of the crocodile's mouth, receptors on the muzzle and paws register vibrations. The predator has no choice but to snap its beak, but to snap the fish! In this way, the reptiles catch small fish. But the quality of the catch is compensated by its quantity
