According to common opinion, some species of African birds enter into symbiosis with crocodiles and become a kind of “dentists”. We checked whether such partnership is found in nature.

Although the story of this “friendship” goes root in antiquity, in the post -Soviet space it is largely known for cartoon About the Tari bird. According to the plot, a terrible and evil crocodile never brushed his teeth, because he had short paws. When the teeth fell ill, other animals, which the crocodile scared and offended, did not want to help him. Only the Tari bird dared, who climbed into the open mouth of the crocodile, brushed his teeth and pulled out the patient.

In the 5th century BC. e. About birds, cleaning the jaw of a crocodile, told Herodotus. The scientist writes about the birds, which he calls the mysterious word “Trochil”: “Since the crocodile lives in the water, his mouth is always full of leeches. Although all other birds and animals avoid a crocodile, they live in the world with Trochil, because he owes much to this bird. When he comes out of the water to land, he widely opens his mouth towards the Western Breeze. At this time, Trochil climbs into the mouth and interferes with leeches. The crocodile is satisfied and does not cause any harm to the bird. ”

Following Herodotus about the symbiosis of the crocodile and other authors began to write this bird. Co-rewriting an excerpt from his “history” and adding something from himself, they told about the unusual “friendship” between animals Aristotle, Apuley And Pliny Senior. Herodotus did not leave descriptions of Trochilus - this made scientists of the 19th and 20th centuries puzzle over Who exactly Described the Father of History.

The British zoologist and author of popular science books Henry Sherren in 1906 published the book "Popular History of Animals." In the chapter about crocodiles he quotes Herodotus, emphasizing that they doubted the authenticity of his story for a long time, but finally confirmed confirmation. Sherren considered such a story by John Mason Cook, the son of Thomas Cook, the founder of one of the oldest travel agencies in the world. Cook Jr. in 1876 visited Egypt, where he saw "a bird flew into the open mouth of a crocodile (probably sleeping)." After that, the reptile closed the mouth, and after a minute or two again opened - and the unscathed bird flew out. Cook, together with zoologist, Philip Sloklater, subsequently identified this bird as a spur chibis. In Sherren’s book, the story of “Friend of the Crocodile” is accompanied by an appropriate illustration.

Although many zoologists of that time, the question of the bird described by Herodotus worried no less than Sherren, they do not give such evidence. Summarizing the works of scientists of the XIX - XX centuries, an American ornithologist and specialist in Chibis Thomas Howell I came to the conclusionThat most of his colleagues watched how different birds really flew to the crocodile and even his open mouth, but the story told by Cook does not find confirmation. To a similar conclusion They came Joell's colleagues from the University of Wisconsin: “Extensive observations of Nile crocodiles in regular or accidental communication with various types of potential cleaners ... led only to several reports about waders that take out leeches from the mouth and throat shields, as well as grabbing insects during the movement of reptiles.” In other words, behavior similar to a bird of Tari, in living nature, has not yet been recorded.

Crocodile specialists Emphasizethat no "dental" services are actually needed by a crocodile. Firstly, up to 3,000 teeth are changing for the life of the reptile, so there is no need to care for them in any way. Secondly, the distance between the teeth of an adult crocodile is so large that between them, in principle, the remnants of food cannot be stuck. Thirdly, very sensitive receptors are in the crocodile mouth, and it will shut it reflexively even from a slight touch. Although on YouTube you can find a fairly popular video, in which the birds climb into the open mouth of the crocodile and brush his teeth, it is not worth believing - this is just the first half of the video created using computer graphics and advertising gum advertising.