Salinity rise in water driving crocs to stray from habitats

[Mrudul Godbole]

Salinity rise in water driving crocs to stray from habitats
PTI, Sep 21, 2010, 10.57am IST

KENDRAPARA (Orissa): Rising salinity in the waters of the Bhitarkanika river system is driving crocodiles towards other water bodies close to human habitation.

The recent killing of a woman by a crocodile at a village bordering Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary has brought into sharp focus the increasing forays by the reptiles into rivers and water bodies in thickly populated areas.

The straying of crocodiles away from their habitats was earlier attributed to scarcity of food in the sanctuary, especially during monsoon months, but now wildlife experts have said extreme salinity in the Bhitarkanika river was the reason.

"The reptiles were never earlier sighted at villages surrounding the Bhitarkanika sanctuary," Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, divisional forest officer, Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division, said.

The Bhitarkanika river system, home to about 2,000 estuarine crocodiles, is now undergoing a hyper-salinity process not conducive to their habitation, Mohapatra said.

He said the crocodile attacks on humans mostly take place during new moon and full moon periods when their habitation corridors get hyper saline.

Article - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/h...ow/6597940.cms

[Lakshminarayanan Nataraja]

Several NGC and BBC documentaries have thrown light on Nile crocodile ecology. These crocodiles feed heavily during the great annual migration of Wildebeests and adult crocodiles manage to survive without food for rest of the year. The life span of crocodiles is more and they are one of the best adapted creatures on earth.

The theory that they go after prey on every new moon day owing to increased salinity is a little strange. Estuarian crocodiles are the largest living representative of crocodilian sp. and for sure they will remain without food for atleast 3 months after a good meal. There is no urge for them to seek food every day as it is being believed.

Having said this increased salinity in water courses is a definite concern and a large crocodile in the back yard is scary & villagers should be made aware so that they don't stroll in the waters unwarily.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I don't agree with this salinity theory pushing crocodiles into the village pond theory. This species Crocodylus porosus is the saltwater crocodile and lives/travels in the high seas as well as the estuaries. If it would have been crocodylus palustris, then the theory could have been plausible.