IF there is a crocodile roaming the waterways of Bristol, you’d be safe up a tree, right?

Well, maybe not.

Crocodiles and alligators have been found to have an unexpected talent.

Researchers discovered the reptiles, more usually found in the water, could climb as high as four metres.

Vladimir Dinets, a research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Tennessee, observed crocodile species on three continents — Australia, Africa and North America — and examined previous studies and anecdotal observations.

The authors wrote: “Climbing a steep hill or steep branch is mechanically similar, assuming the branch is wide enough to walk on.

“Still, the ability to climb vertically is a measure of crocodiles’ spectacular agility on land.”

The team believe the reptiles use climbing to regulate their heat, and to get a better view.

“The most frequent observations of tree-basking were in areas where there were few places to bask on the ground, implying that the individuals needed alternatives for regulating their body temperature,” the authors wrote.

The scientists even used Bristol Zoo as an example of a place where a crocodile used its dexterity to escape.

“One adult dwarf crocodile escaped from its enclosure at the Bristol Zoo (UK) by climbing up a tree growing at an angle and then over the barrier,” the said.

Dinets’ research was published last year.