MUGGER CROCODILE

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.