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A ‘cheeky’ crocodile in Indonesia has learned to ‘mimic a drowning human’ in order to lure others into predator-rich waters – according to locals.
A video which shows a grown crocodile with its front ‘hands’ in the air appears to back the theory and has terrified millions of people after going viral.
But according to Australian crocodile experts there is ‘no way’ wild reptiles would be able to learn such behaviour.
Which means there’s another explanation.
Brandon Sideleau, a researcher of human and crocodile conflict at Charles Darwin University, told Yahoo News the crocodile has probably already made a catch.
He said he has seen unusual maneuvers like this before, when a crocodile has been trying to overpower and eat prey.
He added another, but less-likely, cause could be a neurological condition causing the crocodile to display unusual behaviour.
Leading zoologist and crocodile researcher Professor Graham Webb agreed and said the crocodile could have had its tail caught on something in the river.
A ‘cheeky’ crocodile in Indonesia has learned to ‘mimick a drowning human’ in order to lure others into predator-rich waters – according to locals
Alligator expert Christopher Gillette also believes the manoeuvre has ‘nothing to do with humans’.
He claims the apex predator is simply ‘feeling for fish’ at the bottom of the murky river.
But the expert views hasn’t stopped the original message in the video – that crocodiles have learned to mimic drowning humans – from taking hold.
‘Those look like human hands, OMG,’ one woman commented on the video.
‘Animals are so much smarter than we think!’ said another.
‘They have also learned to shed tears to gain empathy,’ another claimed.
The video was allegedly taken from the shores of the Barito River in Borneo.
Australia has 200,000 salt water crocodiles, half of the world’s total population, but only one or two deaths per year.
This is because developing countries where more deaths occur, like Indonesia, don’t have access to good plumbing.
This means people must use the same rivers which are inhabited by crocodiles.
Not because the crocodiles there have a particular taste for humans or see them as natural prey, experts advised.