Crocodiles can climb trees, new research

This video is called Crocodiles Can Climb Trees, Researchers In Climbing Study Observed.

From Wildlife Extra:

Crocodiles are able to climb trees

February 2014: Although mostly seen skulking in water or labouring across the ground they can also climb tree new research show.

Researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville has found that the reptiles can climb trees as far as the crowns. Research assistant professor Vladimir Dinets and his team observed crocodile species on three continents—Australia, Africa and North America—and examined previous studies and anecdotal observations.

They found that four species climbed trees—usually above water—but how far they ventured upward and outward varied by their sizes. The smaller crocodiles were able to climb higher and further than the larger ones. Some species were observed climbing as far as four meters high in a tree and five meters down a branch.

Their research is published in the journal Herpetology Notes and can be found here. “The most frequent observations of tree-basking were in areas where there were few places to bask on the ground, implying that the individuals needed alternatives for regulating their body temperature. Likewise, their wary nature suggests that climbing leads to improved site surveillance of potential threats and prey.”

The data suggests that at least some crocodile species are able to climb trees despite lacking any obvious morphological adaptations to do so.

“These results should be taken into account by paleontologists who look at changes in fossils to shed light on behaviour,” said Dinets. “This is especially true for those studying extinct crocodiles or other Archosaurian taxa.”