What kind of bird cleans alligators teeth? - Birdful (2024)

Alligators, like many animals, rely on other species to help keep them clean and healthy. One of the most unique cleaning relationships in the animal kingdom is that between alligators and certain birds that pick food particles out of alligator teeth. So what kind of bird cleans alligators’ teeth?

What are the unique dental features of alligators?

Alligators have a particularly interesting set of teeth that presents unique cleaning challenges. An adult alligator has between 74-80 teeth, with up to 3,000 teeth over its lifetime. Alligator teeth are conical in shape and fit so tightly together that food particles easily get lodged between them. Unlike humans and other mammals, alligators continuously grow new teeth to replace old, worn down teeth. However, the old teeth don’t fall out until their replacements push up from below, so alligators routinely have multiple generations of teeth in their mouths at the same time.

Alligators also have a special self-sharpening mechanism. The top and bottom teeth slide by each other when an alligator’s jaw closes, so they are constantly being sharpened like a knife against a sharpening steel. This keeps the teeth dangerously sharp but also wears them down over time.

All of these dental characteristics make keeping food particles out of an alligator’s mouth a full time job. This is where the birds come in.

Cleaners of the bird world

Several different species of birds regularly visit alligators to clean their teeth. The most common alligator dental hygienists are egrets and herons. These long-legged wading birds have specialized beaks that allow them to probe deeply into alligator mouths and extract insects, fish, and meat stuck between teeth. Other birds known to clean alligators include wood storks, cattle egrets, and anhingas.

These aquatic birds seem to enjoy a mutualistic relationship with alligators. The birds get an easy meal from the morsels wedged in alligator teeth. At the same time, the alligators get their teeth cleaned of debris, preventing the buildup of rotting food that could lead to infection and other dental problems.

How do birds clean alligator teeth?

Birds that clean alligator teeth have developed a special dance to safely enter the predator’s mouth. Here are the step-by-step maneuvers:

  1. The bird approaches the alligator head on and starts pecking at the outside of the alligator’s jaws. This appears to be an attempt to get the alligator to open its mouth.
  2. Once the alligator’s mouth is open, the bird uses its long neck to reach deep inside. The bird swishes its open beak from side to side, manipulating food remains out from between alligator teeth.
  3. All the while, the bird vigorously flaps its wings. This seems to be a signal to the alligator that the bird is just cleaning and means no harm.
  4. The bird then quickly retracts its head and neck before the alligator jaws shut.

This elaborate sequence allows the bird to gain access and clean the alligator’s teeth without being perceived as prey and chomped on. The flap, flutter, and shake movements probably help convince the alligator that the bird is not worth eating.

An ancient symbiosis

The alligator-bird cleaning symbiosis has been observed in scientific studies but has actually been documented for hundreds of years. In 1681, the French artist Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues painted a scene showing herons picking leeches from alligator mouths in Florida. The 17th century English pirate William Dampier wrote about “alligator birds” that “fetch out the teeth, or any sort of filth.” And in the early 1800s, John James Audubon painted egrets cleaning alligators.

So while it may seem like an odd coupling, alligators and birds have likely been dining together and keeping each other’s mouths clean for a very long time.

Benefits for the birds

Cleaning alligator teeth provides several advantages for the birds involved:

  • Food source – The bits of fish, insects, and meat stuck in alligator teeth are an easy meal for the birds.
  • Dental hygiene – Hard alligator teeth likely help clean the bird’s beaks and remove debris.
  • Safety – Alligators seem to allow the cleaning birds to come and go safely without threatening to eat them.

In a symbiotic relationship, both participants benefit. So beyond just getting a free teeth cleaning, what do alligators get from the birds?

Benefits for the alligators

Having birds come by for regular dental visits provides some key advantages for alligators:

  • Tooth cleaning – The birds are like tiny dental hygienists, picking food particles out from between alligator teeth.
  • Plaque removal – This cleaning helps prevent plaque buildup that can lead to disease.
  • Parasite control – Many of the birds focus on eating parasites like leeches inside the alligator mouth.

By regularly allowing birds to clean their formidable teeth, alligators get dental care that helps them stay healthy.

Unique animal relationships

The alligator and bird dental symbiosis is one of many unique relationships between species:

RelationshipSpecies 1Species 2Benefit
CleaningAlligatorBirds like egretsBirds clean alligator teeth
Alligators allow birds to eat food stuck in teeth
TransportationAntsAphidsAphids provide ants with honeydew droplets
Ants carry aphids to new feeding locations
DefenseAcacia treeAntsAnts attack herbivores that try to eat tree
Tree provides ants with shelter and food
PollinationFlowering plantsButterflies, bees, etc.Insects gather pollen and nectar from flowers
Pollen gets transferred, allowing plant reproduction

In each relationship, both species provide a service that benefits the other species. This kind of mutually beneficial symbiosis is surprisingly common in the natural world.

The specialized egret beak

Egrets and herons have special beak adaptations that make them expert alligator dentists:

  • Long, narrow beak – Allows the bird to reach deep between teeth
  • Pointed tip – Enables digging out stuck food particles
  • Serrated edges – Grip food remains
  • Curved upper mandible – Hooks under food debris

Other birds could not so effectively clean alligator teeth. Woodpeckers, for example, have strong beaks for hammering and drilling wood, but lack the hooked shape needed to extract debris.

The egret beak shows how evolution has specially adapted some bird species for their unusual role as alligator dentists.

Alligator dental dangers

Despite their alliance, alligators pose several dangers to the birds that clean their teeth:

  • Bite injuries – Alligators have extremely strong bite forces. One wrong nip could crush a bird’s delicate body.
  • Drowning – Alligators typically allow birds to clean their teeth while partially submerged in water. A bird could be accidentally pulled underwater.
  • Rotting food – The bits of rotten food extracted from alligator teeth could make a bird sick if swallowed.

Yet the birds seem to have adapted ways to minimize these risks. The elaborate signaling ritual with wing flapping appears to prevent most bite injuries. The birds also avoid putting their feathers in the water, reducing drowning risk. And they may have strong stomach acids to neutralize harmful bacteria from rotten debris.

The fact that birds continue to clean alligator teeth suggests the rewards outweigh the risks for these unusual dental hygienists.

Other alligator cleaners

Besides birds, some fish species also appear to clean alligators:

  • Bluegill sunfish – Feed on parasites attached to alligator skin
  • Suckermouth catfish – Extract food particles from between alligator teeth
  • Coelacanths – Clean dead skin cells from alligator bodies

The fish benefit by getting easy access to food sources. The alligators get dental services and overall body cleanings. It’s a win-win situation for both parties.

Alligator etiquette for bird dentists

To safely enjoy a cleaning session, alligators should:

  1. Open mouth wide when birds approach – This invites the birds to enter and clean.
  2. Remain still during cleaning – Avoid sudden movements that could frighten or injure the birds.
  3. Close mouth gently – When closing jaws, do it slowly to avoid trapping birds inside.
  4. Let birds finish before fully closing jaws – Give birds time to remove their entire head before completely shutting mouth.

By following these tips, alligators of all sizes can continue to benefit from regular dental cleanings by their bird partners.

The odd bird-gator alliance

While it may seem bizarre, the partnership between alligators and birds that clean their teeth makes perfect sense biologically:

  • Alligators need debris cleaned from their specialized teeth
  • Certain bird beaks can effectively remove the debris
  • The birds get an easy meal from their efforts
  • Both species benefit from the interaction

Nature has many surprising examples of symbiotic relationships. The alligator dental cleaning association is one of the most fascinating – and successful.

Conclusion

The alligator dental cleaning relationship reveals some ingenious solutions that emerge from natural selection. Alligators develop ways to avoid chomping their helpful bird partners. The birds evolve beak shapes perfectly designed to scour alligator teeth. Each species adapts in ways that allow the symbiosis to persist.

This cleaning alliance provides yet another example of the amazing connections within the natural world. Alligators get dental hygiene. Birds get easy access to food. And together, they demonstrate nature’s power to forge innovative partnerships that span the animal kingdom.

What kind of bird cleans alligators teeth? - Birdful (2024)

FAQs

What kind of bird cleans alligators teeth? - Birdful? ›

The Plover will fly inside the crocodile's mouth and clean the crocodile's teeth, similar to flossing.

What bird eats out of a crocodile's mouth? ›

When the crocodile feels the need for a good tooth cleaning it will sit with its mouth wide open. The bird recognizes this invitation, and if one is nearby it will fly into the mouth of the crocodile, eat the food stuck in its teeth, and fly away.

What is the bird in the gator mouth? ›

Egyptian Plover

This tiny bird grows to about 7 to 8 inches long and weighs less than 3 ounces. You might think the little bird is either brave or stupid. But there's a method to what appears to be madness. The plover routinely sticks his head in a croc's mouth and lives to tell the tale.

What birds help alligators? ›

For years, scientists understood that these long-legged birds—herons, egrets, ibises, storks and spoonbills—bred and nested near alligators to protect their eggs from predators such as raccoons and opossums.

What kind of bird hunts alligators? ›

In the wild, newborn and juvenile gators are often eaten by large fish, racoons and large birds (e.g.herons) as well as adult gators.

What birds eat alligator teeth? ›

This tiny bird is called the Egyptian Plover bird. She gets into the crocodile's mouth and picks out the tiny bits of food stuck in his teeth. What does she do with them? She eats them and often this completes her diet.

Is there a bird that eats crocodiles? ›

Shoebill: The human-sized African bird that eats baby crocodiles and kills its siblings. Shoebills reach up to 5 feet in height and they are formidable ambush predators, standing still in swamps before lunging forward to swallow their prey whole with their giant bills.

Why does the crocodile not eat the plover bird? ›

The relationship between a Nile Crocodile and an Egyptian plover bird is one of nature's best examples of mutualism. When a croc needs a good flossing, he will simply open his mouth and wait. The plover bird will instinctively swoop in and pick tiny bits of meat from between the crocodile's teeth.

What does it mean when a gator sits with its mouth open? ›

It's similar to a dog panting to cool down. Crocodilians have evolved to maximize heat gain and minimize water loss. Basically, they can't sweat like we do to cool down. They evolved other methods of cooling, by opening their mouths and essentially sweating through their mouths.

What is a tiny bird that sits inside the open mouth of a crocodile? ›

Plover bird and Crocodile: Plover bird sit in mouth of crocodile because there is symbiotic relationship between these two animals.

What are alligators most afraid of? ›

Alligators have a natural fear of humans, and usually begin a quick retreat when approached by people. If you have a close encounter with an alligator a few yards away, back away slowly. It is extremely rare for wild alligators to chase people, but they can run up to 35 miles per hour for short distances on land.

What is the only predator of an alligator? ›

American alligators live about 50 years in the wild. After they are 4 feet long, alligators are safe from predators except humans and occasionally other alligators.

What big birds eat alligators? ›

Great Blue Herons are indeed amazing hunters, with razor-sharp beaks and necks that can snap forward at speed. They will also eat just about anything as long as it's nearby and roughly the right size for a meal, be it a rat, gopher, alligator, turtle, or fish.

What animal kills the most alligators? ›

Juveniles: Small alligators are eaten by a variety of predators including raccoons, otters, wading birds, and fish; however, larger alligators may be their most significant predator. Adults: Cannibalism, intraspecific fighting, and hunting by humans are probably the most significant mortality factors.

What kills alligators in Florida? ›

Man appears to be their biggest predator. Big cats like leopards and panthers sometimes kill and eat these big reptiles. Large snakes can also do a lot of damage to alligators and crocodiles.

What state eats alligators? ›

In the United States, alligator hunting is legal in Arkansas, South Carolina, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Additionally, the meat can be sourced from alligator farms.

What bird can eat a crocodile? ›

The shoebill stork eats fish, amphibians, reptiles, and even small mammals. It will also eat baby crocodiles. The shoebill stork will swallow a baby crocodile whole. It will then regurgitate the bones and other indigestible parts.

Which bird eats the leech from the open mouth of crocodile? ›

A 'Trochilus' bird, perhaps a Sandpiper or Plover, Spur-winged Plover eats leeches from from the teeth of a Nile Crocodile, in a classic supposed example of cleaning symbiosis.

What is the bird on a crocodile's snout? ›

Plover bird and Crocodile: Plover bird sit in mouth of crocodile because there is symbiotic relationship between these two animals.

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