this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2026
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Science Memes

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top 42 comments
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[–] Batmancer@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago

Croc = Orcc

[–] anzo@programming.dev 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Reptilian muscles fatigue waaay faster than mammalian's. That's probably the reason why chewing doesn't work for them. Also, the white muscle from reptiles is very good at giving explosive force, which is exactly what they are doing instead...

This is a physiological difference given their evolution. I remember it from college. Biologist here.

And . the same applies to why we can't catch lizards, they are so fast.. Right?.. until they aren't. The trick to catch them is to make them run a little ;p

[–] PhoenixDog@lemmy.world 3 points 21 hours ago

Also, the white muscle from reptiles is very good at giving explosive force

Why do we need to bring race into everything!?

[–] testaccount372920@piefed.zip 54 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Alternatively, if it has worked for tens of millions of years, then why is no one else doing it?

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Because they were able to survive without doing it.

Though iirc some birds of prey do the sky version of this. Or maybe the cliff version.

[–] testaccount372920@piefed.zip 4 points 22 hours ago

I love how there's multiple species of birds that like to drop stuff from far up to break it open. Fucking chuck it!

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 25 points 2 days ago

Because they already are and no one seems to be able to stop them.

Can't out croc the croc.

[–] ulterno@programming.dev 9 points 2 days ago

Maybe because anyone else that wants to use that needs to become them.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] testaccount372920@piefed.zip 1 points 2 days ago

Yes! Result: PieFed > Lemmy

[–] _hovi_@lemmy.world 45 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Did not realise that also included other crocodiles?

[–] fascicle@leminal.space 57 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Chomp first ask questions later.

I remember feeling really sad watching some nature show and they mentioned how they just bite whatever touches their mouth and sure enough it bumped into another croc floating next to it and it bit and spun off the other crocs leg

[–] DaddleDew@lemmy.world 38 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I know exactly the video you're taking about and it reminds me of something that I find mind-blowing. Just like crocodilians, sharks haven't evolved much in millions of years. But there can be a seemingly chaotic and fast paced feeding frenzy involving a dozen sharks all competing to grab a bite of something and somehow they don't bite each other. How they manage to tell peer from prey in conditions like that I have no idea.

[–] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 51 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Surely it must be related to their ability to sense changes to water pressure to an incredible degree. Otherwise they could never keep a Sharknado stable for more than a few seconds.

[–] Whostosay@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 days ago

This was the coolest shit I'm going to read all month

[–] janewaydidnothingwrong@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I think ive heard that they still do pretty well even with missing limbs though

[–] TachyonTele@piefed.social 15 points 2 days ago

The meme says "everything".

[–] Chais@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 days ago

These jaws aren't suited for chewing. They're suited for tearing.

[–] Sharkticon@lemmy.zip 11 points 2 days ago

Thats not... inaccurate.

[–] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago (2 children)
[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

...slam it on the water again.

[–] dragonbringerx@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I'm pretty sure whatever that was is pretty fucking broken now...

[–] BillyClark@piefed.social 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

My impression is that carnivores need teeth that pierce and rip, so they can't do much ruminating.

[–] Pirat@lemmy.org 9 points 2 days ago

Most mammalian carnivores have a sort of mix. They have the piercing canines, then their molars act like scissors to slice off hunks of meat. Herbivore and human molars are more for crushing.

[–] SweatyFireBalls@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

And now I just imagine them as wrestlers suplexing their meals.

A croc themed beat em up game would be fuckin hilarious

[–] TJDetweiler@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 days ago

Can't iterate on perfection.

[–] Toneswirly@beehaw.org 9 points 2 days ago

It must be working, considering the results.

[–] FilthyShrooms@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] cRazi_man@europe.pub 19 points 2 days ago (3 children)

"Ain't broke" is under selling this. Evolutionarily, this is clearly the optimal solution.

[–] very_well_lost@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Needs more crab

[–] AppleTea@lemmy.zip 21 points 2 days ago (2 children)

"Ain't broke" is a lot better of a description than "fittest".

Evolution selects for the first thing that happens to work. It' doesn't have to work particularly well, only well enough to not die from it.

[–] Hideakikarate@sh.itjust.works 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)

not to die too early from it.

Passing on genes is successful enough for evolution.

[–] morto@piefed.social 12 points 2 days ago

Like male cochineals, who can't feed themselves after reaching adulthood, but are able to reproduce before dying of hunger. Evolution can be really cruel.

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago

It's also a local maxima trap. To shift to chewing, they would have to change both bite behaviour, and teeth structure. The intermediate stage is a lot worse than either style.

Even if chewing was the better option, it's inaccessible from the crocs current method.

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago

Me: Choking on a bone

My dinner guests: stunned after I bit into the whole Thanksgiving turkey and slammed my face into the table

[–] Godric@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Crocodillians are so fucking cool!

[–] Undearius@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I misread "buttfucking" as "butterfucking", which I am now going to start using.

[–] HowAbt2day@futurology.today 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The word or activity? Which will you start employing?

[–] Undearius@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago

Well, it is organic lubricant, I suppose.

[–] Thatuserguy@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Nice to know Demo hasn't died of alcoholism yet. Still waiting on that next video though

[–] FreddiesLantern@leminal.space 2 points 2 days ago

Yeah for real, being that tense while eating can’t be good for your digestive system.