Prof Ronny R Noor: It Turns Out that Crocodiles Can Communicate
Crocodiles are known as one of the fiercest predators on earth, nicknamed the ‘silent killer’ due to their stealthiness in ambushing their prey. This animal has long been of interest to researchers because of its success in surviving since the dinosaur era.
Recently, the world of science was surprised by researchers who discovered that crocodiles can communicate with each other in their own unique language.
According to Prof Ronny Rachman Noor, an expert in ecological genetics at IPB University, when compared to other reptiles, crocodiles are the ones that make the most sounds. However, the question that arises among scientists is whether the sound emitted by crocodiles is just a primitive communication tool or a sophisticated communication tool among them?
To uncover this secret, Prof Ronny explained that currently researchers in Australia are diligently researching by making various recordings of saltwater crocodile sounds. They are studying these sounds in depth to find out if the male and female crocodiles sound different? Does the difference in size determine the difference in sound? And most importantly, whether there is a specific meaning to the different types of sounds that are used to communicate.
“The researchers managed to uncover the mystery that besides the element of surprise in hunting and ambushing their prey, it turns out that crocodiles also communicate with each other with their very unique language,” explained Prof Ronny.
“This researcher managed to decode the meaning of each type of sound that crocodiles make such as growls, thumps, head slaps and also other body movements commonly exhibited by saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus),” he added.
Prof Ronny further explained, using the science of acoustic ecology, the researchers managed to reveal that crocodiles have the ability to pump each of the scales on their backs (osteodermata). The result of this physical movement of the scales is a low frequency sound that can travel very far in the water. This means that crocodiles deliberately make certain types of sounds for the purpose of communication. And most amazingly, these sounds are recognised and understood by other crocodiles.
“With these different types of sounds, crocodiles can inform other crocodiles of their whereabouts or reproductive status in order to find mates for breeding. The sounds also inform other crocodiles of their territories,” said Prof Ronny.
For example, the researchers managed to explain a type of sound called Geysering narial. This sound comes from the nose when the crocodile is in the water, spraying water into the air. This type of sound occurs when crocodiles are courting.
According to Prof Ronny, the discovery of the different types of crocodile sounds as well as the meaning of each sound opens new horizons. It can be used to determine the crocodile’s size, behaviour, health status and more.
“It becomes even more interesting when we try to answer the question of why crocodiles living today often make sounds by utilising water media rather than directly from their vocal organs? The use of water and combining it with sound and movement is an example of the crocodile’s remarkable adaptation, which allows it to survive and reproduce,” he explained.
According to the researchers, in terms of the evolution of crocodiles living today, the evolutionary tree began to branch out about 240 million years ago with the ancestors of crocodiles known as archosaurs. The researchers agree that birds evolved around 66-69 million years ago to produce a syrinx that functions to produce sound. The syrinx allows birds to make more complex sounds that are used as a means of communication.
“This finding certainly opens the door to unravelling the mystery of the crocodile world even deeper in order to understand and explain why crocodiles that have lived since the time of dinosaurs can still survive today. The ability to adapt to extreme environments is indeed one of the keys to maintaining the existence of crocodiles on earth, but there may be other factors such as communication skills that also play a very large role,” explained Prof Ronny.
According to him, the success of Australian researchers in unravelling the mystery of crocodile language will certainly be very useful and determine the success of conservation programmes both in captivity and in the wild. (*/Rz)
