23 | Mostly Memes @phantoms-comfort-zone - Tumblr Blog

So many bots are following me is it just me or?

justc2world

I'm sorry but this sounds so wrong 🌚

justc2world

"What can you say in the bedroom and in a Charlos video?"

Charles :

sunshineandlyrics

6 January 2023

Now End BG!

sunshineandlyrics

I’ll go to the gym, tomorrow

#Spotify

ur-daily-inspiration

The rush of dopamine and health after sending a sickleave email

everythingfox

Found the Dark Souls player

(via)

yeahiwasintheshit

Fuckin rabies dude, run away

kushblazer666

memewhore

kaijutegu

@milksolid I am DELIGHTED that you said this because it was the perfect excuse to talk about how much crocodilians love to play. As a whole, the group has an amazing sense of play, and what’s more, their play is even sometimes social, which isn’t common in reptiles at all! Crocodilians will give each other rides for no apparent reason. This is observed in creche-mates (hatchlings around the same size, not always from the same parents) as well as in adults! Rides can be part of courtship but are also observed outside of courtship behavior. Sometimes it’s just fun to get a ride from your buddy.

(Social play isn’t limited to crocodilians- turtles will also play with each other, and so will some species of juvenile lizards. In The Secret Social Lives of Reptiles, the authors explain that social play might be important in territorial species that hatch communally because it lets them explore boundaries and social behavior.)

Crocodilians are also known for how much they enjoy novel objects. In Vladimir Dinets 2015 study on play behavior in crocodilians, he noted that they like to play with streams of water and flowers that fall into the water they’re swimming in. They especially love pink flowers and will ignore other floating objects to specifically find the pink ones and push them around or carry them on their noses.

Locomotor play is also seen in crocodilians, which is really neat because as ectotherms (cold-blooded animals), they typically conserve their energy for moving in bursts when capturing prey. But sometimes they’ll invest energy in movement that just seems to be for funsies- especially if they have the option to slide down a slope. Sliding has been seen in alligators and crocodiles, and in captive and wild animals. That one viral video of the Nile crocodile sliding down a slope? That’s play! He did that because it was fun!

Crocodilians often have a bad reputation- people think they’re mean, or that they’re mindless killing machines. But that’s not actually true! Yes, they are predators who deserve respect. No, they are not domesticated animals- you can’t treat them like dogs, that’s how your hand bitten off. No, you should not have one as a pet. But they are incredibly complex and have a really neat social intelligence that we’re only just now beginning to really understand. They play! They have paternal AND maternal investment! They have some really interesting communication! And yes, sometimes they just like to go down a slide.

If you want to know more about how much fun crocodilians have, in addition to the sources I linked, I highly recommend the book Dragon Songs by Vladimir Dinets. It’s an incredible look at the social customs of the world’s crocodilians– the guy went everywhere to study as many species as possible. Gordon Burghardt’s stuff in general is also good if you want to know more about the importance of play in animals!