In Gujarat, the Forest Department has started evacuating the mugger crocodile from two ponds on the Sardar Sarovar Dam premises on the Narmada, to facilitate a seaplane service at the Statue of Unity.
About:
Scientific name: Crocodylus palustris.
Common name: Mugger crocodile, Marsh crocodile or Broad-snouted crocodile.
Distribution:
It is a species native to freshwater habitats from southern Iran and Pakistan to the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka.
Vadodara, 90 km from the Narmada dam, is the only city in the country where crocodiles live in their natural habitat amidst human population.
Habitat:
This species is found in freshwater lakes, ponds, and marshes. it has also adapted well to reservoirs, irrigation canals, human-made ponds, and coastal saltwater lagoons.
The mugger likes relatively shallow water, avoids fast-flowing rivers and is known to bury itself into mud to escape the searing heat of India during the dry season.
Status:
Already extinct in Bhutan and Myanmar, the mugger has been listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
In India, it is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
It is listed in CITES Appendix I, hence export of wild-caught specimen is banned.
Cultural Significance: In idols of the Narmada Goddess, a crocodile is her vehicle. Goddess Khodiyar Maa, who is worshipped by a section of Gujaratis, is also seen riding a crocodile as a symbol of her supremacy over land and water.
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