In a recent discovery in Indonesia, it has been found that crocodiles have been extending their claws above the water’s surface, imitating the drowning behavior of humans to lure others into coming to their rescue, only to become their prey.
According to a report by the British newspaper “Daily Star,” a viral video circulating online shows what appears to be “hands” waving on the water’s surface, but in reality, these are the claws of a crocodile. Some speculate that this is a cunning trick by the crocodiles, aimed at enticing unsuspecting rescuers into dangerous waters to become their prey.
Sharing this video online, netizens wrote, “Saltwater crocodiles in Indonesia have learned to ‘fake drowning’ to lure human prey.”
Local residents seem to find this amusing, as they are aware of the crocodile’s deception. The narration in the video clip mentions that the crocodiles are fully aware of their actions and have learned this behavior.
The narrator states, “Could this kind of occurrence be so common in the crocodile world that feigned drowning has become a viable method for them to lure truly foolish human prey?”
Crocodiles, reptiles that have existed since the dinosaur era, appear to adapt and learn new methods of catching prey.
The video clip has only been released for two days and has already garnered over 2 million likes and sparked comments from netizens.
Some netizens question whether crocodiles are evolving faster than artificial intelligence (AI). Others jokingly state, “Don’t believe the crocodile tears.” Some commenters suggest that only fools would fall for such a trick.
It is currently unclear whether the crocodile’s tactic has been successful in luring anyone to become its meal.
Similar bizarre crocodile behaviors have been reported in Indonesia before. In a previous report by a news outlet, in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, rescue workers found the body of a missing boy retrieved by a crocodile from a river and delivered it to them over a long distance for identification and handover to the family.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature points out that Indonesia is home to at least 4 different species of crocodiles, including saltwater crocodiles, which are the largest existing reptiles in the world and the largest among all crocodile species.