Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 5, 2012

Are 'Crocodile Tears' Real?

Yes, observations have shown that crocodiles and their close relatives do indeed shed tears even as they rip into their prey. But scientists aren't sure why. Ancient anecdotes of crying crocodiles led to the expression crocodile tears to describe someone who shows fake sorrow. But it's unlikely that crocodiles or...

Nov 8, 2012

Crocodile Jaws More Sensitive Than Human Fingertips

Teeny-tiny bumps on the jawlines of alligators and crocodiles are more sensitive than human fingertips, new research finds. The reptiles' sensitive gently smiling jaws (to quote Lewis Carroll) may enable them to both carry their offspring in the mouths with great gentleness and to snap at prey in a split...

Feb 20, 2013

Schwing! Alligator Sports Always-Erect, Hidden Penis

Unlike many other reptiles and mammals, alligators sport permanently erect penises that hide inside their bodies, new research reveals. The reptiles sport fully erect penises made of tough, fibrous tissue that shoot out of their bodies and get pulled back in just as quickly, according to the study, which is...

Feb 22, 2013

Rare Baby Crocs Released into Wild

Nineteen baby Siamese crocodiles are being let loose in the wetlands of Laos, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced this week. The effort gives a boost to the critically endangered species, which is thought to include just 250 individuals in the wild. The rare reptiles' eggs had been incubated at...

Mar 4, 2013

Ancient Seaways Carried Alligators to South America

Crocodilian fossil skulls found in the Panama Canal may provide the missing link between the mouthy reptiles of North America and their kin in South America, scientists say. The skulls belong to two new species of ancient crocodilians (a group that today contains alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gharials) that lived...

Mar 11, 2013

Alligator Nabs New Prosthetic Tail

An alligator stuck with the ungainly name Mister Stubbs may need a new moniker now that his stump of a tail has been fitted with a lifelike prosthetic. The alligator, which lost his tail as a youth after a run-in with another gator, was brought to the Phoenix Herpetological Society...

Mar 25, 2013

Animal Sex: How Crocodiles Do It

Crocodiles are well-known for their armored skin, sharp teeth and powerful jaws, but the ancient reptiles' mating behavior is just as striking as their appearance. There are 23 crocodilian, or crocodile, species alive today, including true crocodiles, alligators and gharials. And though mating behaviors vary, different species share many similarities,...

Mar 26, 2013

Massive Extinction Fueled Rise of Crocodiles

A massive extinction between the Triassic and Jurassic eras paved the way for the rise of the crocodiles, new research suggests. The researchers, who detail their work today (March 26) in the journal Biology Letters, found that although nearly all the crocodilelike archosaurs, known as pseudosuchia, died off about 201...

Aug 7, 2013

Rambling American Crocodile Caught 350 Miles from Home

An 11-foot-long (3.3 meters) American crocodile has made an epic journey around the tip of Florida. Born just south of Miami in 1999, it traveled at least 350 miles (563 kilometers) through the southern part of the state before it was captured recently outside of Tampa. Last month, the crocodile...

Aug 27, 2013

Crikey! Crocodiles and Alligators Snack on Fruit

Crocodiles and alligators are infamous carnivores, but it turns out they do not live on meat alone — scientists have unexpectedly discovered that these predators occasionally snack on fruit as well. These surprising findings suggest crocodilians — which include alligators, crocodiles and their close relatives — might, via seeds they...

Sep 3, 2013

Alligator Hunters Nab Mississippi's Heaviest Gator

Twice over Labor Day weekend, hunters in Mississippi broke the state record for the heaviest alligator ever caught, wildlife officials said. The first male alligator was brought in shortly after midnight on Sept. 1 in a canal north of Redwood, Miss. It weighed 723.5 lbs. (328 kilograms), beating the previous...

Nov 11, 2013

Are Crocodiles Secret Fruit-Lovers? (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Seed dispersal by animals is important for plants to help them occupy new areas of land. Usually bugs, birds, or intrepid kittens do that job. Now we can add crocodiles...

Dec 12, 2013

Alligators and Crocodiles Use Tools to Hunt, in a First

It's official: Reptiles can use tools to help them hunt. New research shows that alligators and crocodiles can use small sticks to attract birds looking for nesting materials. If the birds get too close, they become a meal. The behavior has so far been observed among American alligators in Louisiana,...

Jan 15, 2014

Alligators Stalk, Crush & Swallow Prey on Candid Camera

Chomp, chomp. An inconspicuous — albeit with a camera on its back — alligator slithers through a lake stalking and capturing nearby prey, then surfaces to crush and swallow it. This gator is one of a group of camera-toting American alligators that are revealing some surprising insights about their foraging...

Feb 11, 2014

Crikey! Crocodiles Can Climb Trees

Forget leapin' lizards. In Australia, Africa and North America, it's climbin' crocodiles you have to worry about. New research finds that — yikes — crocodiles can climb trees, even reaching the uppermost branches. Four species found on three continents showed this behavior, which may help the reptiles regulate their body...