EvOCRO Project

Welcome to EvOCRO (Evolutionary Origins of Cognition in Crocodiles), the EU-funded project exploring how crocodiles learn and what their minds can teach us about evolution. www.instagram.com/p/DRrbV3ACIv... #MarieCurieActions #ComparativeCognition #ConservationScience #ResearchEurope

🇬🇧🐊 ECBB 2026 was more than four days of talks. For @xiscacassola.bsky.social, it meant organising, presenting EvOCRO internationally for the first time, giving her first conference talk in English and... Read her story: evocroproject.github.io/blog/posts/2... #EvOCRO #MSCA

🐊 Before the strike comes a choice. Crocodilians can capture prey with a rapid forward lunge powered by the tail and a lateral movement of the jaws. But hunting also involves deciding where and when to attack, depending on the type of prey. #EvOCRO #AnimalCognition #MSCA

#ECBB2026 @coldbloodedcog.bsky.social answering the question Do reptiles know what another reptile can see? as part of this morning's symposium on practical and theoretical challenges in reptile and amphibian cognition.

Some of the most passionate folks in reptile cognition, all in one room! #ECBB2026 🤩 🦎 🐊 🐢 @xiscacassola.bsky.social @annawilkinson.bsky.social @stephanreber.bsky.social @birgitszabo.bsky.social

Next week, EvOCRO heads to Cambridge for #ECBB2026! Prof. Claudia Wascher and Francesca are part of the Core Organising Group, while Francesca and Prof. Anna Wilkinson are organising a symposium on reptile and amphibian behaviour. www.aru.ac.uk/events/confe...

🐊 Pool 4 is ready for its close-up. New pool. New crocodiles. New faces to remember. You gave them their names. Now meet the crocodiles behind them. 👀 Pick your favourite. #EvOCRO #PoolByPool #Crocodiles #AnimalBehaviour #MSCA

🐊 Pool 3 has entered the chat. You helped give them names. Now we're putting faces to those names, one pool at a time. 👀 Which one would you recognise first? #EvOCRO #PoolByPool #Crocodiles #AnimalBehaviour #MSCA

🐊 Pool 2 is here! Time to meet another group of EvOCRO crocodiles. You helped choose their names—now discover the crocodiles behind them. 👀 Which one is your favourite? #EvOCRO #PoolByPool #AnimalBehaviour #MSCA

Still 30minutes left to talk about reptiles with me at @isbe2026.bsky.social @evocroproject.bsky.social

🐊 Our latest blog post takes you inside #ISBE2026, where EvOCRO was represented through a scientific poster on 25 years of reptile cognition research. 🔗 Read the full story on our blog. evocroproject.github.io/blog/posts/2... @xiscacassola.bsky.social

🐊 You named them… now it's time to meet them! Welcome to Pool 1, the first stop in our new series introducing the crocodiles of EvOCRO. 👀 Who's your favourite so far? #EvOCRO #Crocodiles #AnimalBehaviour #MSCA

🐊 Different expertise. One shared goal. Meet Marisol, Project Collaborator in Integrative Biotechnology, and discover how multidisciplinary research helps shape EvOCRO. #EvOCRO #BehindTheJaws #MSCA #AnimalCognition

🐊 Seventy years? For a crocodile, that may not be the finish line. Many individuals can live beyond 70 and, under favourable conditions, even over a century. In the wild, reaching that age is another story. #EvOCRO #CrocodileLessons #MSCA

🐊 Rain marks the beginning of crocodile nesting season. In our latest blog post, Francesca shares the experience of nest monitoring, egg collection and controlled incubation during fieldwork. 🔗 Read evocroproject.github.io/blog/posts/2... #EvOCRO #MSCA

🐊 Before any experiment begins, animals need time to become familiar with new environments and procedures. In this reel, Francesca introduces Phase 1 of the EvOCRO protocol: familiarisation. #EvOCRO #AnimalCognition #MSCA #BehaviouralResearch

🐊 Crocodiles breathe air through their lungs and cannot breathe underwater. Yet a relatively slow metabolism and efficient physiological mechanisms allow them to remain submerged for long periods while waiting for prey. #EvOCRO #ReptileBiology #MSCA #AnimalBehaviour

🐊 Things they don't teach you at university: how to move a crocodile from one area to another. Fieldwork comes with unexpected skills. #EvOCRO #InTheField #FieldResearch #MSCA

Testing my new camera with the best subjects (in these pics: OldStone, Alfonso, Cypress, Rita Farr and Obi-wan) #crocodiles #EvOCRO

🐊 Adult crocodiles are apex predators, but their lives begin very differently. Eggs and young crocodiles are highly vulnerable and can become prey for many animals, including carnivorous mammals and birds of prey. #EvOCRO #CrocodileLessons #Ecology #MSCA

🐊 Nobody talks about this side of fieldwork. Not the papers. Not the conferences. Just trying to keep everything running when reality gets in the way. #EvOCRO #FieldResearch #MSCA

🐊 CROCODILE LESSONS | Crocodiles can have between 60 and 110 teeth depending on the species. Even more impressive: they continuously replace them throughout life. An essential adaptation for predators that can easily lose teeth while hunting. #EvOCRO #CrocodileLessons #MSCA

🐊 EvOCRO has made it to Morocco! The project is being presented as a poster at the 28th CSG Working Meeting, the Crocodile Specialist Group meeting currently taking place in Morocco. #EvOCRO ##AnimalCognition #FieldResearch #HorizonEurope #MSCA

🐊 Crocodylus porosus has one of the strongest bites ever measured in the animal kingdom. Its bite force can exceed 3,700 PSI — powerful enough to immobilise large prey. #EvOCRO #CrocodileLessons #MSCA www.instagram.com/p/DYLF37EFRTd/

🐊 Follow EvOCRO across all platforms. Fieldwork, animal cognition, science communication and updates from the project — directly from the field. 🔗 Join the journey. #EvOCRO #MSCA #HorizonEurope

Writing what the croc Nikola must do next #animalcognition #crocodiles #animalbehaviour @evocroproject.bsky.social

Crocodile nesting varies by species 🐊 Some dig, others build mound nests. Temperature affects development and even sex. www.instagram.com/p/DX94CLNldQp/ #EvOCRO #ReptileBiology #MSCA

Fieldwork means adapting 🐊 Weather changes. Plans change. The research continues. #EvOCRO #Fieldwork #MSCA @xiscacassola.bsky.social

My supervisor! I feel very lucky and thankful to learn from her!

Meet another mind behind EvOCRO 🐊 Claudia A.F. Wascher — Project Supervisor, Behavioural Ecology & Animal Cognition. Her work explores how animals think, behave and adapt. #EvOCRO #AnimalCognition #BehaviouralEcology #Evolution #MSCA #Cambridge

Fieldwork = more than experiments 🐊 Cleaning, managing, preparing. That’s where science really happens. #EvOCRO #InTheField #HorizonEurope #MSCA

Gracias a Francisco Luna por la invitación Café Científico @ Menta (Campeche) hablando un poquito de @evocroproject.bsky.social

Moving the new generation of reproductive adults @evocroproject.bsky.social #crocodiles #animalbehaviour

Crocodiles don’t just react - they communicate 🐊 From high-pitched hatchling calls to deep bellows, at least 13 sound types have been identified. www.instagram.com/p/DXSHq2xgoHf/ #EvOCRO #AnimalBehaviour #horizoneurope #MSCA

🐊 What is EvOCRO? From fieldwork to cognition, from behaviour to adaptation. Let @xiscacassola.bsky.social guide you. #EvOCRO #InTheField #AnimalCognition #HorizonEurope

Meet Gerardo 🐊 A hatchling already part of our research. Every behaviour matters. #EvOCRO #AnimalCognition #MSCA

You helped us name them 🐊 Here are the names chosen by our community. Colours match the crocodiles’ ID wristbands. Which one is your favourite? 👇 #EvOCRO #ScienceEngagement

Meet Stanley 🐊 A juvenile in our pilot experiments. Wary. Observant. Still exploring. Every reaction matters. #EvOCRO #AnimalCognition #BehindTheJaws #MarieCurieActions

Crocodiles detect prey using pressure receptors (integumentary sensory organs) in the scales around their mouth. These sensors pick up tiny water vibrations — even in the dark or murky water. www.instagram.com/p/DWrjStWgKhI/ #EvOCRO #AnimalBehaviour #CrocodileLessons #MarieCurieActions

Fieldwork doesn’t stop for the weather 🌧️ Rain, humidity, unstable conditions — research goes on. Science isn’t always comfortable. But it’s always real. #EvOCRO #FieldResearch #InTheField #MarieCurieActions

🐊 Before experiments begin, there’s preparation. Setting up spaces, materials and conditions is what makes reliable science possible. Go behind the scenes of EvOCRO’s early work 👇 evocroproject.github.io/blog/posts/2... #EvOCRO #FieldResearch #AnimalCognition #MarieCurieActions

Science doesn’t live only in papers. It lives in daily fieldwork: logistics, data collection, animal care and constant monitoring. Every result starts here. #EvOCRO #FieldScience #AnimalBehaviour #MarieCurieActions

thinking that only three months ago I was afraid of handling these amazing animals, while now I take the 70cm ones in my hands without fear @evocroproject.bsky.social #crocodiles #animalbehaviour #animalcognition

We’re naming our crocodiles 🐊 Want to help? Drop your best name below 👇 The most creative ideas might become official. #EvOCRO #AnimalCognition #ScienceEngagement #MarieCurieActions

🐊 Meet Stanley, a juvenile in EvOCRO’s pilot experiments. Wary. Observant. Still exploring. Individual differences are key to understanding cognition. #EvOCRO #AnimalCognition #PilotStudy #MarieCurieActions

#EvOCRO is funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions — supporting mobility, international collaboration and scientific excellence. Research that matters for science, conservation and society. marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu #EUResearch #MSCA

🐊 In crocodiles, sex is influenced by incubation temperature — a process known as Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination (TSD). Environmental changes can shape population structure over time. www.instagram.com/p/DVCEidOiP_... #EvOCRO #ReptileBiology #ConservationScience #MSCA #HorizonEurope

Evidente timidez frente a la cámara, pero el grupo de investigación está empezando a presentarse. Obvious shyness on camera, but the research group is starting to introduce itself. Evidente timidezza di fronte alla telecamera, ma il gruppo di ricerca sta iniziando a presentarsi.

Today, we meet the mind behind EvOCRO. @xiscacassola.bsky.social is the Principal Investigator studying crocodile behaviour and #behaviouralecology. Follow the journey. www.instagram.com/evocroproject/

🐊 What do we mean by animal personality? It’s about consistent behavioural differences between individuals — even within the same species. Why does it matter for cognition and evolution? Find out in our latest blog post. evocroproject.github.io/blog/posts/2...