In the intricate tapestry of the animal kingdom, an intriguing phenomenon emerges—parents possess an uncanny ability to discern the cries of a distressed infant. Across species, Nile crocodiles recognize and react to the sound of crying babies this wordless call for help resonates deeply, triggering an instinctive response. Astonishingly, even species as disparate as humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and Nile crocodiles share a common thread: their recognition and reaction to the plaintive cries of infants. However, for a Nile crocodile, the wails of a human baby may not be perceived as a plea for aid, but rather as a tantalizing dinner bell.
Nile crocodiles recognize and react sound of crying babies
A recent study sheds light on this phenomenon, revealing that crocodiles swiftly investigate the cries of human infants due to a primal response driven by hunger. Intriguingly, some female crocodiles may also react to these cries, driven by an enigmatic maternal instinct. This intriguing discovery underscores the universality of distress vocalizations across species, suggesting that they transcend even the boundaries of evolutionary relationships.
Researchers employed audio recordings of human, chimpanzee, and bonobo infant cries to investigate the reactions of Nile crocodiles. Astonishingly, these formidable reptiles not only paid attention but also responded promptly to the sounds of distressed infants. While some of these responses likely had predatory motives, others appeared to be driven by maternal instincts. Élodie F. Briefer, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Copenhagen, comments, “They just react, more because it triggered some probably innate response. That might be a predatory response, to a prey in distress, or it could be because the sound resembles a bit what their own offspring are doing.”
Julie Thévenet and her colleagues collected a diverse range of infant cries, each expressing varying levels of distress. These cries were sourced from a bioacoustics research database, with bonobo infants recorded in European zoos and chimp calls collected from Uganda’s Kibale National Park. Human infant cries were also recorded in various contexts, from bath time at home to doctor’s office visits.
The research team meticulously analyzed the cries, identifying 18 distinct acoustic variables, including pitch, syllable count, duration, and the presence of chaotic and harmonic elements.
To observe the crocodiles’ responses, the researchers set up speakers at CrocoParc in Agadir, Morocco, an outdoor facility where approximately 300 Nile crocodiles freely roam. After the park closed for the day, they played the recorded primate cries to groups of crocodiles, known for their acute hearing the Nile crocodiles recognize and react sound of crying babies.
The reactions of many crocodiles were swift and varied. Some approached the speakers at the water’s surface, stopping just inches away, fixating their gaze on the source of the sounds. Others exhibited submerged approaches, resembling predatory behavior, and a few even attempted to bite the speakers. However, some responses did not exhibit overtly predatory characteristics.
The authors of the study acknowledge the possibility that certain individuals, particularly females, might respond in a parental care context. Female crocodiles, and occasionally males, have been observed responding to the distress calls of their own young, as these calls share certain acoustic features with those of primate infants. Nile crocodiles recognize and react sound of crying babies. This heightened sensitivity to human infant distress calls raises the intriguing notion that crocodiles may have been attuned to such sounds throughout evolutionary history, potentially posing a threat to our ancestors.
The study’s findings were further illuminated through software analysis of acoustic elements in the recordings, coupled with video footage capturing the crocodiles’ reactions. Surprisingly, when it came to bonobo cries, crocodiles displayed a more accurate analysis of infant distress compared to their human counterparts, despite their considerable evolutionary distance. Humans tended to overestimate the distress levels of bonobo infants due to pitch differences, as bonobos generally produce higher-pitched cries in various situations. In contrast, crocodile reactions were triggered by other elements in the cries, particularly chaos, which more accurately conveyed distress in primates. Élodie F. Briefer notes, “Where we more focus on the pitch, which works better among humans, in these recordings they show that the that crocodiles use actually work better across species.”
Charles Darwin’s hypothesis, rooted in the idea that distress calls across species may have ancient evolutionary origins, gains support from these findings. It suggests that natural selection favored vocalizations effective in conveying distress even among vastly different species, dating back to the earliest terrestrial vertebrates. Nile crocodiles recognize and react sound of crying babies.
According to Briefer, vertebrates tend to exhibit consistent stress reactions, altering their vocal apparatus in parallel. This phenomenon signifies that even across distantly related species, there exists a capacity for mutual understanding. Nile crocodiles recognize and react sound of crying babies.
Additional research has uncovered compelling connections that bolster this notion. Studies involving brain imaging have demonstrated that dogs can discern human emotions by listening to our voices. While this may be expected given the long co-evolutionary history between humans and dogs, a 2019 study led by Piera Filippi, a cognitive scientist at the University of Zurich, revealed that chickadees, birds that learn vocalizations from their parents, can recognize distress calls in a wide array of species, including humans and giant pandas, despite never having encountered them before.
Despite these intriguing insights, Filippi underscores the need for further research to understand the behavioral and cognitive responses of various species, including crocodiles, to different vocalizations. As she notes, “The more species we test, and the further apart they are from primates phylogenetically, the more complete picture we can get of how vocal communication, and in particular emotional communication, evolved.”