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If you were asked to imagine the behavioral traits of your average crocodile, surely the first thing that would come to mind is a creature floating on the surface of the water with a fixed look as it lies in wait for its prey. However, it may well be time to put such thoughts behind you. The following image of a crocodile swimming in its enclosure at a crocodile farm, which is currently doing the rounds online, is winning the hearts of thousands of Japanese.

Obviously getting too close to a crocodile when it’s extremely hungry would likely mean saying goodbye to a limb at the very least, but kept well fed and at a relative distance some might argue that they’re even “pet-worthy”. It’s a good idea to regard crocodiles from afar and maintain a healthy level of respect for them, but you might also be surprised at how cute they can be.

Without further ado, check out the photo that’s prompting cries of ‘kawaii!’ right across Japan this week:

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One net user posted the above photo on their Twitter account with the comment, “This photo shows a crocodile in its natural state under the water.”

Normally it is extremely difficult to observe a crocodile’s underwater activity with so much clarity, particularly when you consider that the water in their natural habitat is usually muddy and unclear. Taken at this crocodile farm, however, with its human-like posture this snapper wouldn’t be out of place in a cartoon or a comic book.

However, there is good reason to believe that this behavior is limited to the rearing farm since the rivers and lakes that crocodiles usually inhabit are normally too shallow for them to be able to walk on their hind legs, putting paid to any theories that crocodiles are usually walking around like humans, doffing their hats to one another when we’re not around.

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Here’s a small sample of the comments made by Japanese Twitter users in response to the photo:

“In the Theory of Evolution, humans also first began to walk on two legs when they were lesser-evolved organisms living in the water. For me this photo carries deep meaning.”

“Much cuter that I expected!”

“Looks just like my failed attempts at the breast stroke.”

“It’s a croc-croc-crocodile!!”

“OK, I want one!”

“I want to give it a big hug!”

“Sooooooo cute!!!”

“I’m overwhelmed by the shear cuteness of this little fella!”

“It’s hard to be scared of something this adorable.”

“Looks like it’s running for base.”

There you have it folks. Proof that crocodiles sometimes get up on two legs and walk around when they think we’re not watching. I wonder if they’re blogging about us, too…

Source: Byoukan Sunday