Why a bird teams up with a croc to protect its eggs

[Music] these two creatures have a peculiar alliance they work together to protect their eggs and this lizard had better beware of the big and the small guard in the dry season the sandbanks on the nile become a hive of activity [Music] the river's enormous wealth of fish attracts hundreds of thousands of birds once the water level sinks many species start breeding at this time of year female crocodiles are especially aggressive they shuttle between the cool water and the sandbanks where they guard their precious buried eggs [Music] they share the banks with a peculiar bird the water thickney it nests at the same time right amongst the giant reptiles their partnership is a curious one but thickney and crocodile have a common enemy the nile monitor a notorious egg thief as soon as the crocodiles leave their watch to cool off in the water the monitor comes out of hiding [Music] a vigilant thickney immediately sounds a warning and attacks [Music] the calls alert the crocodiles to the thief in turn the crocodiles are meant to protect the thick knee and its nest at least in theory the nile monitor smells eggs and starts digging [Music] crocodiles have keen eyesight and an excellent sense of hearing despite the warning and the obvious threat the female remains calm [Music] the monitor uses its forked tongue to scan the sand it's able to detect the tiniest odor particles and find eggs buried deep in the ground [Music] the crocodile has had enough [Music] the nile monitor waits for the next opportunity but it hasn't bargained for the thick knee [Music] even powerful partners aren't always reliable the female trudges straight towards the bird's nest the thick knee tries to prevent the worst [Music] the crocodile has stopped millimeters away from the eggs [Music] the thick knee seems stunned but then the inevitable happens [Music] all warnings were in vain one egg is [Music] broken in the end the smaller partner is still the weaker the thick knee immediately disposes of the eggshells and feeds on the remains otherwise the smell would draw more [Music] predators at least one of the eggs is undamaged reason enough for the thick knee to resume incubating immediately the thick knee stays loyal to this breeding ground despite the risks the bird seems to consider being amongst the crocodiles the safest bet for survival there are much more peculiar partnerships and brave birds out there so stay tuned for our next videos and subscribe if you want to find out more about our precious planet

Channel: Terra Mater

Views: 620,895

Rating: 4.9251075 out of 5

Keywords: uganda, africa, water thick-knee, lizard, crocodile, crocodiles, bird, birds, animal partnership, bird vs. lizard, crocodile vs. lizard, nile monitor, egg thief, bird eggs, bird egg, crocodile egg, crocodile eggs, nesting, dangerous, dangerous nesting, nile, river, river nile, wildlife, natural history, reptile, reptiles, lizards, water thick-knees, water dikkop, thick-knee, thick-knee birds, thick-knee bird south africa, thick knee bird call, thick knee call, Burhinidae, shorebird, shorebirds

Id: QWNhWD6Gxe0

Length: 4min 48sec (288 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 16 2020