I was reading my son Crocodiles & Alligators by Seymour Simon (books about crocodiles and dinosaurs are, in my son’s opinion, perfect bedtime reading material), which claims that crocodiles have no tear ducts and that tales of crocodile tears are a myth. This shocked me, as I remembered your October 1978 article on the subject. Your claim that crocodiles used tears to “lubricate their food” did strike me as peculiar. I’d imagine that if the tears were reasonably acidic it would irritate their eyes. Please set the matter straight. –Hayden S., Concord, MA
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Sometimes I look back at my old stuff and think: Where in the world did that come from? Just so with my claim about crocodile tears. I said that the croc’s tears ran from its eyes into its mouth, softening its food, and that this false show of emotion gave rise to the expression “crocodile tears.” Obviously I intended this as a comment on the public’s proclivity to believe anything if plausibly presented. However, I concede it has the appearance of just being wrong.
“Those references that mention crocodile tears at all simply state that the tale is bunk, without considering that it may have any basis in crocodile physiology or behavior.
“‘As for the physiological basis, there is none. We can be sure that any tears involved in these attacks are shed by men, not crocodiles.’”
