Why in news?
The latest census in the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve recorded 213 sightings of saltwater crocodiles in 2025, including a large number of hatchlings. This suggests a healthy population of India’s largest reptile in its natural habitat.
About the species
The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest living reptile and an apex predator. It plays a crucial ecological role by consuming carcasses and regulating prey populations. These crocodiles inhabit coastal mangrove swamps and river deltas in the Sundarbans of West Bengal, the swamps and rivers of Odisha and the coastlines of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They can live in both fresh and salt water.
Unique features
- Size: Males can exceed six metres in length and weigh over 1,000 kilograms.
- Apex predator: Their diet includes fish, birds and mammals such as deer and wild boar.
- Tolerance: They can survive across a wide range of salinity levels and tidal conditions, although increasing salinity due to climate change poses a threat.
Population trends
- The 2025 survey estimated 220–242 individuals in the Indian Sundarbans.
- Direct sightings included 125 adults, 88 juveniles and 23 hatchlings — a significant increase from the previous year.
- The encounter rate was about one crocodile every 5.5 kilometres of creek, indicating healthy distribution.
Conservation efforts
- Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project: Since 1976 this breeding and conservation centre in West Bengal has released more than 500 crocodiles into the wild.
- Monitoring: Systematic surveys, GPS mapping and habitat studies help authorities track populations and plan interventions.
- Challenges: Rising sea levels, increasing salinity and habitat degradation due to climate change remain threats to the species.