Details
Crocodylus palustris
The mugger is the broad-snouted crocodile of the Indian subcontinent. Strongly tied to fresh water, it can also walk overland when seasonal pools shrink.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It ranges from southeastern Iran through India, Nepal and Sri Lanka in marshes, lakes, rivers and reservoirs. Fresh water is its core habitat, with occasional use of estuaries and coastal wetlands.
Adults are about 250-400 cm long and 40-200 kg. The snout is broad, the body heavy, and the color usually dark olive to brown.
Mostly solitary, it digs burrows in banks to escape heat, cold and drought. It swims powerfully and may move between water bodies in the dry season.
Young animals take insects and crustaceans, while adults hunt fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Large prey is seized from the water's edge.
Females nest in holes dug in sand during the dry season and may lay up to about 46 eggs. Both parents can guard hatchlings for many months.
Habitat conversion, fishing gear and conflict with people remain major threats. The species has long held symbolic importance around South Asian rivers.
