Crocodile uses sharp teeth to shield baby hatchling from hunters — these mamas have killer instinct
When a camera was attached to the jaws of one of the most ferocious and carnivorous animals, the Crocodile, it captured the purest form of love. BBC Wildlife shared a video report on how mama crocodiles help with egg hatching and protect hatchlings from predators like birds, fish, and other crocodiles by scooping them inside their mouth, which is infamous for having one of the sharpest teeth in any vertebrate.
The story was reported from the Nile, where a crocodile was filmed protecting its offspring. The report mentioned that Nile crocodiles will stay closer to their offspring after hatching and will shield them from any dangers they may face. These hunters turn into the softest animals the minute their babies voice a concern inside the nest, immediately crawling toward them and placing their hatchlings, who are just 30 cm long, in their mouth to protect them.
The female crocodile allegedly “digs a hole, lays eggs, and covers the nest,” hanging around until her babies are big enough to protect themselves. This display of nurturing behavior makes them the warmest reptiles, unlike many others, such as snakes and lizards, who are famously known to abandon their eggs in the wild. The mother crocodile uses her teeth to break their eggs when she hears her babies chirping. And if any animal dares to prey on the little hatchlings, it is promptly killed.
Research mentions that crocodiles have incredible maternal instincts. George Amato, director emeritus of conservation genomics at the American Museum of Natural History, asserted that crocodiles are in closest relation to birds. Despite being a reptile, they are descendants of dinosaurs and birds, thereby possessing the same level of protective instincts towards their offspring. “There’s been a lot of attention to the fact that birds are essentially a lineage of dinosaurs that survived the extinction. But a lot of people don’t know that crocodiles are actually the closest living animal to the bird and dinosaur group,” confirmed Amato.
This makes their parental behavior understandable: “We all know that birds show extraordinary parental care. Now we observe that crocodiles do, too,” Amato said. Further, Frank Mazzotti, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Florida, explained how and when the mother crocodile ignites her maternal instincts. “If the babies hatch in an area that’s ideal for them to find food and develop, then the mom is likely to stay around for a few months and continue to protect them,” said Frank. "If the situation is not, she’ll stay until the environment is safe."
People have found it shocking that Crocs are remarkable parents, given their killer and savage disposition. No matter what, the mother crocodile ensures that her children are safe and sound. Research also mentioned that their population is growing at the same rate as humans. Given the environmental conditions, we might have to learn to co-live with these ferocious and deadly animals, although judging by their warm and kind instincts, it might not be so difficult for us to co-exist in peace.