- Experts debunk the crocodile myth on video
- Read more: Horrible moment in which a crocodile emerges with a mother of four children in its jaws
A “cheeky” crocodile in Indonesia has learned to “imitate a drowning human” to lure others into predator-rich waters, according to locals.
A video showing an adult crocodile with its front “hands” in the air appears to support the theory and has terrified millions of people after going viral.
But according to Australian crocodile experts, there is “no way” wild reptiles can learn such behavior.
Which means there is another explanation.
Brandon Sideleau, a human-crocodile conflict researcher at Charles Darwin University, told Yahoo News that the crocodile has probably already captured it.
He said he had seen unusual maneuvers like this before, when a crocodile tried to overpower and eat its prey.
He added that another cause, although less likely, could be a neurological condition that causes the crocodile to display unusual behavior.
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 “imitate a drowning human” to lure others into predator-rich waters, according to locals.
Alligator expert Christopher Gillette also believes the maneuver “has nothing to do with humans.”
He claims the apex predator is simply “looking for fish” at the bottom of the murky river.
But the opinions of experts have not prevented the original message of the video (that crocodiles have learned to imitate drowning humans) from prevailing.
“Those look like human hands, my God,” one woman commented on the video.
‘Animals are much smarter than we think!’ said another.
“They have also learned to shed tears to gain empathy,” said another.
The video was supposedly taken from the banks of the Barito River in Borneo.
Australia has 200,000 saltwater crocodiles, half the world’s total population, but only one or two deaths per year.
This is because developing countries where the most deaths occur, such as Indonesia, do not have access to good plumbing.
This means that people must use the same rivers where crocodiles live.
Not because crocodiles have a particular liking for humans or see them as natural prey, experts advise.