bird get a draw of attention for theiruse of tools . Clever animals , birds . But non - avian reptiles are capable of equally complex behaviors . Recent observations of crocodiles and alligator have revealed that both employ twigs as hunt lures . A poetic twist : The sticks are used to lure hiss . ( WHO ’S THE CLEVER ONE , NOW ? )
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Above : An American alligator successfully catches a Snowy egret ( Egretta thula ) following stick - luring behavior . Photo by Don Specht via Dinets et al . Used by permission .
Tetrapod Zoology ’s Darren Naish explicate :
As described by Dinets et al . ( 2013 ) , Mugger crocodiles Crocodylus palustris in India and American alligator Alligator mississippiensis in the USA have both been observed to lie , partially submerged , beneath egret and heron dependency with sticks balance across their beak . raspberry approach to pull together the stick for utilisation in nest building and … well , let ’s just say that it does n’t terminate well for the birds . If the crocodylians really are using the sticks as bait to attract their bird fair game , this is pecker use , since the stick are objects that are being engage for a specific mathematical function .
The occurrence of stick on the crocodylians is not random : stick - display deportment was most ofttimes observed both in those crocodylians living at rookeries and was exclusively observed during the egret and heron nesting season , being most frequent in recent March and April ( when the egrets and herons are make for hard to find sticks ) ( Dinets et al . 2013 ) .
The observations of Dinets and his co-worker are recounted inthe latest emergence of Ethology Ecology & Evolution , where they compose :
Using objects as search lures is very rare in nature , having been observed in just a fistful of species . We report the use of twigs and sticks as razzing lures by two crocodilian species . At least one of them uses this method acting preponderantly during the nest - building time of year of its target . This is the first known case of a predator not just using objects as lures , but also admit into score the seasonality of prey behavior .
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