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Wildlife: The Truth Behind the Tears
We've all heard the phrase "crying crocodile tears" used to describe someone feigning sadness. Legend credits crocs as man-slayers that weep while they eat, but new research is showing that the cold-blooded creatures actually do shed tears while they dine—no matter the dish.
University of Florida zoologist Kent Vliet observed four captive caimans and three alligators, both close relatives of the crocodile, eating on dry land at Florida's St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. (Vliet's study focused on these crocodile cousins because crocs are so agile and aggressive they must be fed in the water—where their eyes are already wet—for safety reasons.) Five of the seven animals Vliet observed shed tears. Some of their eyes even frothed and bubbled.
"Crocodilians have a small bony duct that runs from the tear gland into the nasal sinuses," says Vliet. "I think air from the sinuses is forced up this duct, and forms bubbles."
While the cause still remains a mystery, scientists are certain the act is a physiological one—and not evidence that the reptiles show any sort of remorse.
