Mugger Crocodile
Mugger CrocodileMugger CrocodileMugger CrocodileMugger Crocodile

Mugger Crocodile

Crocodylus palustris

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
70–80% · Very likely
overall probability at Yala National Park
219 Verified records at Yala National Park
December Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

The mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) is a medium-sized broad-snouted crocodile, also known as mugger and marsh crocodile. It is native to freshwater habitats from south-eastern Iran to the Indian subcontinent, where it inhabits marshes, lakes, rivers and artificial ponds. It rarely reaches a body length of 5 m (16 ft 5 in) and is a powerful swimmer, but also walks on land in search of suitable waterbodies during the hot season. Both young and adult mugger crocodiles dig burrows to which they retreat when the ambient temperature drops below 5 °C (41 °F) or exceeds 38 °C (100 °F). Females dig holes in the sand as nesting sites and lay up to 46 eggs during the dry season. The sex of hatchlings depends on temperature during incubation. Wikipedia →

70–80% of wildlife watchers report a Mugger Crocodile sighting in Yala National Park, based on 219 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

📅 Monthly Probability

80–90
Jan
80–90
Feb
70–80
Mar
70–80
Apr
70–80
May
70–80
Jun
70–80
Jul
70–80
Aug
70–80
Sep
70–80
Oct
70–80
Nov
80–90
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
70–80%
2 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
70–80%
3 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
70–80%
4 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
70–80%
5 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
40–50%
6 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
30–40%
7 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
20–30%
8 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
9 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
10 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Mugger Crocodile in Yala National Park?

About 79% of wildlife watchers report a Mugger Crocodile sighting in Yala National Park, based on 219 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Mugger Crocodile in Yala National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Mugger Crocodile in Yala National Park in our monthly data.

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