Marsh crocodile
| Marsh crocodile | ||||||||||||
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Marsh crocodile ( Crocodylus palustris ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Crocodylus palustris | ||||||||||||
| Lesson , 1831 |
The swamp crocodile ( Crocodylus palustris ) is a species of the real crocodiles (Crocodylidae).
features
The swamp crocodile reaches a maximum length of about four meters. The adult animals are gray to gray-brown and usually have dark markings, the young are light brown to brown and have dark transverse bands on the tail and body.
distribution and habitat
The range includes the Indian subcontinent and includes eastern Iran , much of Pakistan , the Terai plateau in Nepal and Sri Lanka . Marsh crocodiles are likely extinct in Bangladesh .
The swamp crocodile is a freshwater inhabitant found mainly in rivers, lakes and swamps. It also inhabits the irrigation canals and man-made water reservoirs of its homeland. Occasionally marsh crocodiles have also been found in brackish water .
Way of life
Like most other crocodiles, the swamp crocodile feeds on very different organisms in the water. Its spectrum includes fish , snakes , frogs , water turtles , insects and small mammals . Large crocodiles also catch deer , water buffalo and gaure . They are also known to “steal” fish from fishing nets. In addition, a special hunting strategy for birds could be observed. The crocodiles balance sticks and twigs (the birds' preferred nesting material) on their snouts. If birds come and want to use the sticks to build their nests, they will be caught with a high success rate.
The eggs are laid in pits. Such a nest contains between 25 and 30 eggs. Female marsh crocodiles kept in captivity often have two clutches per year.
Marsh crocodiles are highly threatened in their populations in some areas of their range. In Iran, a long-lasting drought has drastically reduced the number of crocodiles living there, in India it is the loss of natural habitats due to the explosively growing human population. The safest populations live in Sri Lanka today (subspecies Crocodylus palustris kimbula ).
literature
- Charles A. Ross (Ed.): Crocodiles and Alligators - Development, Biology and Distribution , Orbis Verlag Niedernhausen 2002
- Joachim Brock: Crocodiles - A life with armored lizards , Natur und Tier Verlag Münster 1998
Web links
- Crocodylus palustris in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Crocodile Specialist Group, 1996. Retrieved on 9 May, 2006.
- Crocodylus palustris in The Reptile Database
Individual evidence
- ↑ V. Dinets, JC Brueggen, JD Brueggen: crocodilians use tools for hunting. Ethology Ecology & Evolution, 27 (1), 74-78, 2015, online publication 2013, doi: 10.1080 / 03949370.2013.858276 .