Crocodile UPSC | World Crocodile Day 17 June

Crocodile UPSC | World Crocodile Day 20 June | Why In The News ?

World Crocodile Day is celebrated on 17th June. The day is a global awareness campaign to highlight the plight of endangered crocodiles and alligators around the world.

Crocodilian Species in India :

• Mugger or Marsh Crocodile
• Estuarine or Saltwater Crocodile
• Gharial

Mugger or Marsh Crocodile 

Description:

• The mugger is an egg-laying and hole-nesting species.
• The mugger is also known to be dangerous.

Habitat:

• It is mainly restricted to the Indian subcontinent where it may be found in a number of freshwater habitat types including rivers, lakes and marshes.
• However, it can even be found in coastal saltwater lagoons and estuaries.
• It is already extinct in Bhutan and Myanmar.

Threats:

• Habitat destruction, fragmentation, and transformation, fishing activities and use of crocodiles parts for medicinal purposes.

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Protection Status:

IUCN List of Threatened Species: Vulnerable CITES : Appendix I Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I

Estuarine or Saltwater Crocodile

About Saltwater Crocodile 

• It is considered as the Earth’s largest living crocodile species.
• The estuarine crocodile is infamous globally as a known maneater.
• It is found in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park, the Sundarbans in West Bengal and the Andamans and Nicobar Islands.
• It is also found across Southeast Asia and northern Australia.

Protection Status:

IUCN List of Threatened Species: Least Concern CITES : Appendix I (except the populations of Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, which are included in Appendix II). Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I

Gharial

• Gharials, sometimes called gavials
• distinguished by their long, thin snouts which resemble a pot.
• Gharials are a type of Crocodilians that also includes crocodiles, alligators, caimans, etc.
• The population of Gharials is a good indicator of clean river water.
• The gharial is known to be a relatively harmless, fish-eating species.
• The gharials are mostly found in fresh waters of the himalayan rivers.
• The chambal river in the northern slopes of the Vindhya mountains ( Madhya Pradesh) is known as the primary habitat of gharials.
• Other himalayan rivers like ghagra, gandak river, Girwa river, Ramganga river and the Sone river are secondary habitats for gharials.

Protection Status:

IUCN List of Threatened Species: Critically Endangered CITES : Appendix I Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 : Schedule I