Mugger Crocodiles

In News

• Water trains hold the key to survival of 350 mugger crocodiles in Jawai dam of Rajasthan as water levels are down to three feet.

Muggers or marsh crocodiles  

• Scientific Name: Crocodylus palustris
• Muggers measure six to 13 feet on average and live for 70-80 years. 

Image Courtesy: WII

• Geographic Range: 
  • They found all over south Asia — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh — as well as south-eastern Iran.
  • The mugger is found in 15 Indian states, with the largest populations in the middle Ganges (Bihar-Jharkhand) and Chambal (Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan) basins.
• Habitat:
  • It is most commonly found in freshwater environments such as rivers, lakes, hill streams, and village ponds. 
  • This crocodile does not migrate seasonally, inhabiting the same locale in wet seasons or dry seasons. 
• Major Threats:
  • Habitat loss due to expansion of agriculture and industry, 
  • getting trapped in fishing nets, 
  • poaching of their eggs and 
  • illegal trade in their skin and meat.
• Conservation Status:
  • CITES: Appendix I 
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
• Conservation Projects:
  • Mugger Project At Ramatirtha
  • Kakra Crocodile Trail: It is going on in Terai Eastern Forest Division at Khatima, Uttarakhand. 
  • The Indian Crocodile Conservation Project was launched in 1975 in different states in the country. 

Other crocodiles species in India

• Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile 
  • Scientific Name: Crocodylus porosus.
  • Habitat: Blackish and freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
  • Protection Status
    • IUCN Red List: Least Concern
    • Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
• Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
  • It is also known as the gavial or the fish-eating crocodile.
  • It is the longest among all living crocodilians.
  • Conservation Status:  
    • IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered 
    • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I: 
    • CITES: Appendix I 

Source: DTE