2023-10-15 06:00:14
An unusual event has occurred in Australia: a saltwater crocodile mating frenzy triggered by a low-flying Chinook helicopter. This unexpected sighting took place at the Koorana Crocodile Farm in Queensland, which is home to more than 3,000 specimens.
The males of the crocodile farm, with some 3,000 residents, entered “mating mode” following the helicopter passed by.
Image Wikimedia Commons
John Lever, owner of the farm, reported that Chinook pilots use his property as a landmark to change course in flight. The latter even noted that one of the pilots went down particularly low so that the passengers might photograph the crocodiles. Following this maneuver, the large males stood up, roared and mated frantically. According to him, it seems that the sound waves produced by the helicopter particularly stimulate them.
Mark O’Shea, a herpetologist at the University of Wolverhampton, offers several reasons. He suggests that the noise of the helicopter might imitate the warning signals of a storm. ‘old French ore which meant wind, is a disturbance…) imminent.
A Chinook helicopter.
Image d’illustration Pixabay
Heavy rains are known for their aphrodisiac effect on many species of crocodilians. Mark O’Shea mentions that these animals might synchronize their mating with thunderstorms so that their young are not threatened by flooding. Crocodiles have sensory organs integrated into their skin, capable of detecting changes in atmospheric pressure. exerted by the gaseous mixture constituting…) or sounds at very low frequency (In physics, frequency generally refers to the measurement of the number of times that a…).
Several explanations therefore remain plausible: a change in atmospheric pressure, infrasound undetectable to the human ear (The human ear is the organ used by human beings to capture sound. It is therefore…) , or even a combination (A combination can be:) of these factors. However, Mark O’Shea points out that other cues, such as a change in temperature, might also be necessary to trigger mating.
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