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News: World Crocodile Day is being celebrated on the 17th June.
Facts:
Crocodile species found in India:
Mugger or Marsh Crocodile:
- Habitat: It is a freshwater crocodile native to southern Iran to the Indian subcontinent.It is extinct in Bhutan and Myanmar.
- IUCN Status: Vulnerable
- CITES: Appendix I
- Threats: a) Habitat destruction b) Entanglement and drowning in fishing equipment and c) Increasing incidents of conflict with humans.
Estuarine or Saltwater Crocodile:
- It is considered as the Earth’s largest living crocodile species native to saltwater habitats and brackish wetlands.
- Habitat: It is found throughout the east coast of India, Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
- IUCN Status: Least Concern
- Threats: a) Illegal hunting b) habitat loss and c) antipathy toward the species because of its reputation as a man-eater.
Gharial:
- Distribution: It was once found across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.However,currently it survives in several severely fragmented populations in India and Nepal.
- Protected areas: National Chambal Sanctuary and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.
- IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
- Wild Life (Protection) Act,1972: Schedule I
- CITES: Appendix I
- Threats: Construction of Dam, barrages, and water abstraction, entanglement in fishing nets, River bed cultivation and sand mining.
