CROCODILES play, give each other piggy backs, surf and even like pink flowers - Daily Mail

Biologist Vladimir Dinets spent years studying the behaviour of crocodiles
He saw crocodiles pushing balls, sticks and flowers around their ponds
One male crocodile gave a smaller female piggy back rides in the water
He also reports that American alligators play with sea otters in the wild
Young alligators have also been seen to create a 'slide' into their ponds
Dr Dinets says that crocodiles also appear to prefer objects that are pink

Published: 07:28 EST, 11 February 2015 | Updated: 11:55 EST, 11 February 2015

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They might be ruthless ambush killers that can tear chunks off their prey with their powerful jaws, but crocodiles have a softer side too.

Biologists have compiled evidence that shows crocodiles like to have fun by playing in streams, surfing currents, pushing sticks and riding on each other's backs.

The reptiles also appear to prefer objects that are pink in colour and have even been known to form bonds with other animals and play with them.

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Maximo the crocodile loves to play with his ball

The findings reveal a surprisingly fun-loving side to these animals that have a reputation for lurking in the depths of rivers waiting for a moment to pounce.

WHY YOU ARE NOT EVEN SAFE FROM A CROCODILE IN THE TREES

Crocodiles and alligators have an surprising talent for tree climbing.

Researchers have discovered the reptiles, more usually found in the water, could climb as high as five metres.

They claim that the animals are 'spectacularly agile' on land.

Dr Vladimir Dinets, from the University of Tennessee, observed crocodile species climbing trees on three continents - Australia, Africa and North America.

He said that he believes crocodiles use climbing to regulate their heat by allowing them to bask out of the water.

He believes the animals may also climb trees to get a better view while on some occassions use it as a way to escape.

Crocodiles are surprisingly agile on land and can even climb into the branches of trees as above

Dr Vladimir Dinets, a researcher at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville who led the study, found examples of playing in 10 different species of crocodile and alligator.

He used a combination of his own observations while studying more general crocodile behaviour along with reports of playing in the animals.

He said the further work on the social and playful side of crocodiles may help to shed more light on their intelligence.

He said: 'Many aspects of crocodilian behavior remain poorly known due to their rare occurrence and to the difficulty of observing predominantly nocturnal predators.

'In the case of play, an additional problem appears to be that people witnessing such behavior consider their observations unworthy of publishing or unlikely to be taken seriously.'

In a paper published in the journal of Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Dr Dinets describes how young captive alligators have been observed repeatedly sliding down slopes into water while broad-snouted caiman surfed in water from an inflow pipe into their pool.

Others have been seen in zoos to repeatedly swim into showers from small waterfalls in their enclosures, snapping at the water as they past.

Crocodiles have also been observed 'surfing' on waves off the coast of Australia.

Dr Dinets also describes how one male crocodile at Toledo Zoo was seen pushing around balls floating in his enclosure.

He said he has also seen adult crocodiles in the wild and in captivity pushing twigs, grass and other floating vegetation while swimming.

Dr Dinets said: 'In many cases this behavior appears to be accidental, but on two occasions I have seen crocodilians doing this in a manner strongly suggesting play.

'In both cases, the objects were pink Bougainvillea flowers that were floating in the pools where the animals were kept captive.'

This large captive male crocodile was seen giving a smaller female piggy back rides around their enclosure

Costa Rican man is best friends with 17ft crocodile

Researchers have found that crocodiles appear to enjoy playing with pink flowers like the one above

He said that in one example an adult male Cuban crocodile in Miami Zoo, Florida, picked up the flowers, pushed them around and carried them in its teeth or on the tip of his snout.

Dr Dinets added: 'Anecdotal observations suggest that crocodilians are generally attracted to small pink objects, and prefer them over similar objects of other colors for biting and manipulating.'

He said that in one example an adult male Cuban crocodile in Miami Zoo, Florida, picked up the flowers, pushed them around and carried them in its teeth or on the tip of his snout.

Dr Dinets added: 'Anecdotal observations suggest that crocodilians are generally attracted to small pink objects, and prefer them over similar objects of other colors for biting and manipulating.'

In another recent piece of research reported that wild crocodiles balance sticks on their snouts, which helped them to lure birds to them.

Some researchers have reported that crocodiles play with their prey, much like killer whales have been seen to do in the wild.

Recently a photographer captured a large Nile crocodile tossing the body of a baby hippo though the air in what has been interpreted as play.

Dr Dinets said that crocodiles have also been seen to play together, with juveniles chasing and tussling with each other in the water.

Dr Dinets said that he has also witnessed a pair of Cuban crocodiles perform 'a particularly unusual behavior'.

Unchanged since the time of the dinosaur, crocodiles like the one above are the perfect ambush predator, but it seems these notoriously solitary creatures may have a more social side that includes having fun

He said: 'The female would get on the back of the larger male, and he would give her a few rides around the pool.'

He said he has seen similar behaviour in American alligators where a younger animal took short rides on the back of an older one.

Crocodiles have also been known to form strong bonds with humans and play with them in the water.

Gilberto Shedden, from Costa Rica, rescued an American crocodile after it had been shot and the pair became famous for playing together.

The crocodile would sneak up behind Mr Sheddon and pretend to charge him while it also allowed him to caress, hug and rotate it in the water.

Dr Dinets said he also witnessed an Amercian alligator that appeared to be playing with a river otter in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida.

This large captive crocodile at Toledo Zoo, called Maximo, regularly plays with a large ball in his enclosure

He said: 'The otters would often harass the alligators by approaching them closely, nipping on their tail tips, and splashing water onto their heads.

'Most alligators responded to harassment by submerging, but one individual about 1.5 m long responded by lunging at the otters every time they got close.

'By the third day of observation the otters focused most of their attention on that individual.

'On one occasion an otter slipped on a steep bank of the bayou and was grabbed across

the chest by the alligator.

'The alligator retreated from the bank and pulled the wriggling otter underwater as if attempting to drown it, but after about 5 seconds raised its head and released the otter, apparently unharmed.

'The interactions between this alligator and the otters then continued for two more days.'