Bird Cleaning Crocodile Teeth First off there s no evidence anywhere in photographs or film to show birds cleaning crocodile teeth or ripping leeches from their tongue with the exception of that particularly clever digital fake you see above.

Bird cleaning crocodile teeth Lord howe island diorama.

Bird cleaning crocodile teeth. This supposed symbiotic relationship has entered into pop culture so much that if you see a lot of dental things as i do you ll inevitably. Mother feeding baby birds in the nest and cleaning the nest. The crocodiles supposedly permit the birds to sit on their teeth for a while because they receive a teeth cleaning which prevents dental and gum disease and keeps them alive longer. The bird is sometimes referred to as the crocodile bird for its alleged symbiotic relationship with crocodiles.

You re thinking of the crocodile whose pal the plover helps keep the smile of a crocodile clean. 5 years ago 34 2k views. The plovers aren t suicidal. According to herodotus the crocodiles lie on the shore with their mouths open and a bird called trochilus flies into the crocodiles mouths so as to feed on decaying meat lodged between the crocodiles teeth.

The alligator has no bird friend. According to unauthenticated reports the plover feeds on parasites that infest the crocodile s mouth and the reptile will open its jaws and allow the bird to enter to clean out the mouth.