A situation occurred where the crocodile started a large orgy because the helicopter flew low
It was reported that a helicopter flew nearby at a crocodile farm in Australia, causing the crocodiles to start mating all at once.
Crocodile sex frenzy triggered by Chinook helicopters and thunder in central Queensland - ABC News
Low-flying helicopter sparks massive crocodile orgy in Australia | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/animals/alligators-crocodiles/they-mated-like-mad-low-flying-helicopter-sparks-massive-crocodile-orgy-in-australia
John Lever, owner of Koorana Crocodile Farm in Queensland, Australia, which has more than 3,000 crocodiles, said pilots of the Chinook helicopters that fly in the area often veer off course from Lever's crocodile farm. It is said that the crocodile started mating when the pilot flew at a low altitude.
'The large male crocodiles all reared up and roared into the sky, and as the helicopter flew away, the crocodiles were mating like crazy,' Lever told Australian television station Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). There seems to be something about the sound of a helicopter that excites the crocodiles.'
Experts have proposed various theories as to why the approach of the helicopter caused the crocodile to go into heat. According to Cameron Baker, who studies crocodile ecology at Australia's Charles Darwin University, the mating season for Australian crocodiles roughly coincides with the rainy season in northern Queensland. When the rainy season arrives, thunderstorms occur, but Baker's hypothesis is that the crocodile mishears the thunder and the sound of a helicopter.
'The crocodiles probably use thunderstorms as a signal that the rainy season is coming, which is a good time to start mating, so they're ready to lay their eggs at just the right time,' Baker said. ” he said.
Baby crocodiles that have just hatched from eggs need plenty of food to grow, but if there is a flood, the baby crocodiles will drown. Therefore, crocodiles mate during thunderstorms and lay eggs when the weather calms down.
It is also possible that the low frequency sound generated when a helicopter's flight hits the water can be heard as the voice of a male crocodile claiming its territory, which may have agitated the crocodiles.
'When the sound of a helicopter hits the water, it can create a very low-frequency 'thud, thud' sound, which happens to be the sound a big male makes when he says, 'Hey, this is my territory.' We don't yet know how they use this sound or what it communicates, but researchers say they emit a low, rumbling sound by vibrating their entire body. I have a theory,” Baker said.
Craig Franklin, a professor of zoology at the University of Queensland, proposes a different hypothesis. According to Mr. Franklin, crocodiles have an organ called an integumentary sensory organ (ISO) that can recognize changes in atmospheric pressure, and use this to detect whether or not it will rain. Helicopter flights create strong winds, which could have had a similar effect on the crocodile as a change in barometric pressure, Franklin said.
However, crocodiles do not rely solely on one environmental change to begin breeding. Mr. Franklin said, ``The ecology of crocodiles is complex, and they use various signals such as sunlight hours, temperature, precipitation, and changes in atmospheric pressure to time their breeding activities.''
Mr. Lever, the owner of the farm, added, ``This winter has been very warm.Thunderstorms are like a stimulant for crocodiles, and when a thunderstorm comes, crocodiles get really excited.It's already raining. 'A number of factors may have brought the arrival of the crocodile's courtship season earlier,' he said.
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