Crocodylus palustris
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
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. Both parents protect the young for up to one year. They feed on insects, and adults prey on fish, reptiles, birds and mammals.
The mugger crocodile evolved at least 4.19 million years ago and has been a symbol for the fructifying and destructive powers of the rivers since the Vedic period. It was first scientifically described in 1831 and is protected by law in Iran, India and Sri Lanka. Since 1982, it has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Outside protected areas, it is threatened by conversion of natural habitats, gets entangled in fishing nets and is killed in human–wildlife conflict situations and in traffic accidents. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 4 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 7 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 10 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gatwala Wildlife Park | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | |
| 2 | Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Nandankanan Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Arignar Anna Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Indroda Nature Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Bondla Zoo | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Nehru Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | National Zoological Park Delhi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Mysore Zoo | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Bannerghatta Zoo | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Kurumbapatti Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Warangal Zoo | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Taiping Zoo | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 16 | Children's Park, Guindy | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Sayaji Baug Zoo | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Rahim Yar Khan Wildlife Park | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | |
| 19 | Giraffe House | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 20 | Amirthi Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Crocodile Bank | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 22 | St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Thrissur Zoo | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 24 | Indraloka Animal Sanctuary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | La Vanille Nature Park | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | |
| 26 | Taraporewala Aquarium | 🇮🇳 India |
No species of the same family or order lives in Ranthambore National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Mugger Crocodile sighting in Ranthambore National Park on a given day, based on 223 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 7 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November to February
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Mugger Crocodile in Ranthambore National Park on a given day, against about 10% in July, the lowest month. Those are among Ranthambore National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 270 mm in August.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mugger Crocodile sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
5th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Mugger Crocodile sightings, Ranthambore National Park ranks 5th at about 80%. The best odds are in Yala National Park (Sri Lanka, about 90%), Wilpattu National Park (Sri Lanka, about 80%) and Chitwan National Park (Nepal, about 80%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mugger Crocodile is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Ranthambore National Park (223 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
