Climate change is affecting crocodiles.
Australia’s estuarine crocodiles are feeling the heat! The Earth is getting hotter, and a study found that crocodiles' bodies are getting warmer too. So, they are changing how they behave to stay cool.
The study was published in the journal Current Biology. A scientist said that crocodiles are tough, but too much heat is a big problem for them.
Crocodiles are cold-blooded animals. This means they need the sun to warm up and water or shade to cool down. They like warm weather, but now the world is getting too hot for them.
The average body temperature of crocodiles has increased.
Scientists found that from 2008 to 2023, air temperatures rose. This made crocodiles’ body temperatures go up too. They now spend more time at their heat limit.
For estuarine crocodiles, 32 degrees Celsius to 33 degrees Celsius (89.6°Fahrenheit–91.4°Fahrenheit) is the danger zone. If they get too hot, they feel weak. They swim and dive less, which makes hunting harder.
On hot nights, crocodiles rest on riverbanks because the air is cooler than the water. During the day, they stay in the shade, dive deep, or move to the freshwater to cool down.
Behavioural changes seen.
To learn more, researchers studied 203 crocodiles at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve in Australia. They checked their body temperature, movements, and diving habits.
They found that crocodiles dive less and cool off more when it is very hot. Crocodiles usually hide underwater to catch their food. But if they stay underwater for a short time, hunting becomes harder.
Some crocodiles even leave their warm resting spots on very hot days. They move to deeper, cooler water instead. This could be a problem because too much heat can change how they grow and have babies.
It also uses up their energy faster. Poor crocodiles cannot hold their breath underwater for very long due to this. This again makes it difficult for them to hunt for food.
If the Earth keeps getting hotter, crocodiles will need to find cooler places. Some may even move to southern Australia! Scientists are still studying how they will adapt in the future.
