Newly revealed footage shows dwarf crocodiles hunting bats in Gabon's Abanda Caves, a behavior researchers had been unable to watch while people were present. Remote cameras captured the hunt in darkness for a National Geographic series. The field crew operated the equipment from above ground and stayed outside after installation, giving the animals time to return to their normal activity.
Footage revealed on October 1 shows dwarf crocodiles hunting bats in the Abanda Caves in Gabon, in Central Africa. The animals' diet was already known to include bats and insects, but researchers had been unable to watch the hunt while people were inside. The first filmed scenes were captured for a new National Geographic wildlife series using remotely operated cameras.[1], [2]
Field director Lillian Todd-Jones worked with conservation ecologist Matt Shirley, who studies these crocodiles. Her crew installed infrared cameras and operated them from an above-ground shack. They stayed out after setup, allowing the animals to settle into the filming area. Remote control let the crew follow movement and adjust focus while the cave remained dark to the crocodiles. Infrared lighting let the cameras capture images in that environment.[2]
Shirley said he had worked with the cave population for about 15 or 16 years without seeing it hunt bats. The cave system has narrow passages and accumulations of bat guano, with conditions changing after rainfall. The population was discovered in 2008, and Shirley joined the team that first documented it in 2010. He said the new footage could help researchers examine patterns in the crocodiles' behavior.[1]
