Just warming up

Just warming up
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

Marsh crocodiles also called muggers are found mostly in the Indian subcontinent. Among the crocodiles, these resemble the alligators most. Wider snouts though not as wide as alligators. They keep their mouths open as in the photo to regulate their body temperature.

Species are considered vulnerable as the numbers are coming down in the wild. They have died out in Myanmar and many provinces of Pakistan. They are endangered in Bangladesh. Though captive breeding programs are successful, loss of habitat means no place to release them. In countries such as India commercial breeding for meat or skin is prohibited.

Crocodiles have changed little over miilions of years, showing how successful their evolutionary build is. They are on the top of the foodchain and did not have any natural predator. All that till man came along. And the future of creatures which survived dinosaurs are suddenly not so bright.

Scientific name: Crocodylus palustris