The mugger (Crocodylus palustris ) is a crocodile of medium to large size with the broadest snout of all the living members of the genus Crocodylus. It lives in the Indian subcontinent as well as other countries in southern Asia. Like most crocodilians, muggers feature a flat head where their eyes, ears, and nose are on top. This enables them to see, hear and breathe above water when their bodies are underwater. The mugger 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.
The Mugger crocodile has the broadest snout among living crocodiles. It has a powerful tail and webbed feet. Its visual, hearing, and smelling senses are acute. Hatchlings are pale olive with black spots. Adults are dark olive to grey or brown. The head is rough without any ridges and has large scutes around the neck that are well separated from the back. Scutes usually form 4, rarely 6 longitudinal series and 16 or 17 transverse series. The limbs have keeled scales with serrated fringes on the outer edges, and the outer toes are extensively webbed.
The mugger crocodile occurs in the Indian subcontinent as well as surrounding countries: Sri Lanka in the east, Iran in the west, and also Pakistan and Nepal. This species is found in freshwater lakes, marshes, and ponds, and has also adapted well to reservoirs, human-made ponds, irrigation canals, and coastal saltwater lagoons. This crocodile likes shallow water no more than 5 m deep, and it avoids fast-flowing rivers. It will sometimes bury itself in the mud to avoid the searing heat in India in the dry season.
