Mugger Crocodile
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Crocodilia Family: Crocodylidae Subfamily: Crocodylinae Genus: Crocodylus Species: C. palustris
Binomial name
Crocodylus palustris Lesson, 1831
Distribution of Crocodylus palustris

The Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), also called the Iranian, Marsh, or Persian Crocodile (in Persian گاندو Gandu), is found throughout the Indian subcontinent and the surrounding countries (India, Pakistan; in Pakistan's coastal regions of the Makran and delta marshlands of Sindh it is known as the Indus Crocodile, however they do exist in parts of Bangladesh, and parts of Nepal and Iran). The name Mugger comes from its name Magar Macchh in the Hindi language. The scientific name of the mugger crocodile means 'of the marshes'. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Animalia redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses Anapsida Diapsida Synonyms Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class Sauropsida. ... Families Gavialidae Alligatoridae Crocodylidae Crocodilia is an order of large reptiles that appeared about 84 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian stage). ... Genera Crocodylus Osteolaemus Tomistoma A crocodile can be any of the 14 species of large, water-loving reptiles in the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the subfamily Crocodylinae). ... Genera Crocodylus Osteolaemus Tomistoma A crocodile can be any of the 14 species of large, water-loving reptiles in the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the subfamily Crocodylinae). ... This article needs to be wikified. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... René Lesson. ... Image File history File links Crocodylus_palustris_Distribution. ... Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Satellite image of the Indian subcontinent Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... Makran is the southern region of Balochistan, in Iran and Pakistan along the coast of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. ... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ... This article is about the modern Pakistani province of Sindh. ...

Description

Mugger Crocodile Skull

Mugger crocodiles have: 19 upper teeth on each side. Snout 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 as long as broad at the base; head rough but without any ridges; mandibular symphysis extending to the level of the fourth or fifth tooth; pne-maxillo-maxillary suture, on the palate, transverse, nearly straight, or curved forwards; nasal bones separating the pnemaxillaries above. Four large nuchals forming a square, with a smaller one on each side; two pairs of smaller nuchals on a transverse series behind the occiput. Dorsal shield well separated from the nuchal, the scutes usually in 4, rarely in 6, longitudinal series, those of the two median usually considerably broader than long; 16 or 17 transverse series. Scales on limbs keeled. Fingers webbed at the base; outer toes extensively webbed. A serrated fringe on the outer edge of the leg. Adult blackish olive above: young pale olive, dotted and spotted with black. The largest specimen in the British Museum measures 12 feet, but individuals are said to grow much larger.^[1] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (628x973, 71 KB) Summary Skeleton of Crocodyle. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (628x973, 71 KB) Summary Skeleton of Crocodyle. ...

Distribution

Almost restricted to the Indian subcontinent the Mugger or marsh crocodile can be found in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, the southern tip of Iran and probably in Indo-China. This crocodile is the most common in India, far out numbering the much larger saltwater crocodile within the country (and most likely within neighboring countries). The Mugger is the only crocodilian found in Iran and Pakistan. Binomial name Crocodylus porosus (Schneider, 1801) Range of the Saltwater Crocodile in black The saltwater or estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest of all existing reptiles. ...

Habitat

Mainly a freshwater species, the Mugger crocodile is found in lakes, rivers and marshes. Muggers prefer slow-moving, shallower bodies of water rather than, fast-flowing, deep areas. Also known to thrive in man-made reservoirs and irrigation canals. Although it prefers freshwater, it has some tolerance to saltwater therefore is occasionally reported from saltwater lagoons. It is sympatric with the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) in some areas of India, but separated by habitat most of the time. It is adapted to terrestrial life like its cousin, the Cuban Crocodile, more than most crocodilians. It is known to be more mobile on land, can migrate considerable distances over land in search of a more suitable habitat. It can chase prey on land for short distances. They are also known to dig burrows as shelters during the dry seaons. Binomial name Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789) The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is one of two surviving members of the family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodile-like reptiles with long, narrow jaws. ... Binomial name Crocodylus rhombiferCuvier, 1807 The Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) is a small species (8 feet average length) native only to Cubas Zapata Swamp, and highly endangered, though it formerly ranged throughout the Caribbean, possibly even into Florida. ...

Diet

Being a large carnivorous reptile, it eats fish, other reptiles and small and large mammals. In fact, most vertebrates that approach to drink are potential prey, and may suffer being seized and dragged into the water to be drowned and devoured at leisure. Attacks on humans are very rare, but not unheard of, as a child was killed by a Mugger crocodile in Iran during early 2006.

References

• Crocodile Specialist Group (1996). Crocodylus palustris. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1a, C2a v2.3)

1. ^ Boulenger, G. A. (1890) Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Batrachia.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

See also

• Gharial

Binomial name Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789) The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is one of two surviving members of the family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodile-like reptiles with long, narrow jaws. ...

External link

• Iranian Crocodile