Photo. Carving of a "nice smiling”crocodile by the Insect tribe in Papua New Guinea. © Travel Explorations.
I really wondered why a crocodile always seems to smile. This the story how a Sepik Crocodiles taught me the art of the perfect Poker Face.
Deep in the remote tangled green of Papua New Guinea’s Upper Sepik River, I met people in the Insect Tribe. They call themselves the Swagap, masters of carvings shaped like sago beetles, dragonflies, and praying mantises - creatures they believe carry wisdom from the forest and river. But there is more to them than insects. Behind the detailed wings and carved mandibles lies a deeper spirit: the crocodile.
And on my way I started to think more about the “crocodile smile”, and that frightened me: the “smiling” crocodiles have mandibles, which are the jaws – really powerful jaws, specifically the lower jaw, that are designed for powerful biting and holding prey.
The Swagap believe the crocodile is both protector and teacher. They have a deeply spiritual connection to the crocodiles, but for me my imagination stretched in many other ways – fear and poker playing.
Where Crocodiles smile and humans try to keep a straight face
First of all, I will say: a crocodile’s smile is the ultimate poker face. Despite its friendly smile, it is clearly not a pet.
Imagine sitting at the table with a hand full of garbage while everyone else tries to read your face. They’d lean in, searching for a twitch. A smirk. A blink. Anything.
But I’d give them the crocodile treatment. Calm. Still. Perfectly unreadable. My jaw wouldn’t literally curve upward, of course, but the vibe would be the same: You do not know what I’m holding, and I’m not about to help you.
The crocodiles on the Sepik had mastered it. Same expression when it was relaxed, same when it was annoyed, same when it was sizing up our little boat. A living statue with teeth. If I could borrow even a little of that energy, every bluff would be legendary.
Maybe that’s why the river felt so peaceful during my days there. Not because the crocodiles were friendly, but because they never let on what they felt. It didn’t need to. It already looked like the undefeated champion of jungle poker. They had a look never that never changed.
That was when I understood: crocodiles are the river’s best poker players. No tells, no hints, just a permanent smile that reveals nothing at all.
So I learned quickly the truth. Crocodiles do not smile. They simply look like they know every secret in the jungle and refuse to give any of them away. They have the nature’s greatest poker face, holding its cards forever, even in the bright sun.
First encounter with a crocodile
When I first met the crocodile by the Sepik, it was sunbathing on a muddy bank, wearing what looked like the world’s most confident smile. The Insect tribe sat beside me, calm as ever, while I tried to decide if the crocodile was friendly or if I was about to become lunch.
Crocodiles look like they are smiling - but it’s not because they’re happy. So what I observed: Their “smile” is just anatomy. Crocodiles have long, V-shaped jaws with exposed teeth. When their mouth is closed, the shape naturally curves upward. The “smile” is just how their skull and jaw muscles are built.
They open their mouths to cool down. Sometimes they sit with their mouth open and look like they’re grinning, but this is thermal regulation. They don’t smile like humans do. Crocodiles don’t express happiness through facial movements. Still… they can relax, enjoy sunbathing, or feel calm. But it never shows as a smile. The “smile” can also be a threat. A slightly open, toothy mouth can be their way of saying: “This is my turf. Don’t come closer.” Or “I am hungry”.
I learned with the Insect tribe along the Sepik that a crocodile’s “smile” stays the same whether it’s calm, irritated, or about to attack. That makes crocodiles one of nature’s greatest poker faces.
Stein Morten Lund, October 1999
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