Three crocs swim next stray dog in the water — what they do next shocked everyone!
By Mike-Ross
So, picture this: three crocs cruising toward a dog in the water, and you'd think disaster was knocking on the door. But hold on, because what went down next left everyone pretty amazed.
As per the Journal of Threatened Taxa, here's the scoop: A young stray pup got chased away from his turf by a gang of wild dogs and wound up in the not-so-deep end of India's Savitri River.
Journal of Threatened Taxa / Utkarsha Chavan
Footage showed the dog standing oblivious in the water as a potential threat grew near: three crocodiles swam towards him. Watching the scene unfold, it would be natural to assume the dog was about to be the crocs’ dinner.
However, what happened next stumped researchers: instead of chowing down on the dog, the crocodiles helped him instead, pushing him towards dry land.
The moment surprised researchers. “Given that the mugger was well within the striking range and could have easily devoured the dog, yet none of them attacked and instead chose to nudge it towards the bank, implies that the hunger drive was absent,” the entry in the Journal reads. “We propose this to be a case of sentient behavior of the Mugger resulting in cross species ‘emotional empathy.”
Journal of Threatened Taxa / Utkarsha Chavan
“The curious case of a dog ‘rescued’ by the group of crocodiles reported here seems more on lines of empathy than altruistic behavior.”
The researchers note that there has been little research done on the mental faculties of reptiles, so a lot of their behavior is still a mystery. But their findings suggest that crocodiles could be more emotionally intelligent than previously thought.
“As far as animal cognition is concerned… reptiles have been underestimated and research in reptilian cognition hasn’t progressed much due to this bias,” the report’s abstract reads. “Though crocodiles are generally stereotyped as lethargic and lacking social interactions except for territoriality, parental care and prey ambush, they demonstrate discrete behavioral repertoire in a variety of situations suggestive of refined cognition.”
Talk about some surprisingly gentle crocs! Nature sure has a knack for throwing curveballs, and animals often leave us in awe with their incredible and unexpected actions.
If you're an animal enthusiast, make sure to pass this heartwarming tale along!
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