Volume 6, Issue 1 (In Press 2024)
JAD 2024, 6(1): 1-11 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Vyas R, Chauhan D, Vaghashiya P, Patel H. Noteworthy observations on food and feeding behaviors of mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris Lesson) at Lal Dhori, Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, India. JAD 2024; 6 (1) :1-11
URL: http://jad.lu.ac.ir/article-1-432-en.html
URL: http://jad.lu.ac.ir/article-1-432-en.html
1- Shashwat Apartment, 23 Anandnagar Society, BPC Road, Alkapuri, Vadodara 390007, Gujarat, India
2- Khodiyar Krupa, Asha Society, Shivnagar, Joshipura, Junagadh 362002, Gujarat, India
3- 193, Amrutam, Bapunagar Society, B/H Gayatri School, Joshipura, Junagadh, Gujarat, India
4- Department of Biosciences, Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat 395007, India; Thackeray Wildlife Foundation, Mumbai 400051, India
2- Khodiyar Krupa, Asha Society, Shivnagar, Joshipura, Junagadh 362002, Gujarat, India
3- 193, Amrutam, Bapunagar Society, B/H Gayatri School, Joshipura, Junagadh, Gujarat, India
4- Department of Biosciences, Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat 395007, India; Thackeray Wildlife Foundation, Mumbai 400051, India
Abstract: (1474 Views)
Mugger Crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) are apex predators of freshwater aquatic ecosystems throughout South Asia whose natural history and ecology are incompletely known. We present some noteworthy observations on feeding behavior, hunting strategy, and diet of the species based on seven observations during the last four years as part of a long-term monitoring study in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. We found Muggers of this region feeding on the domestic dog (Canis familiaris), Indian rock python (Python molurus), Indian flap-shelled turtle (Lissemys punctata), several species of fishes, as well as cannibalism events. Moreover, we review and discuss some published observations of the species.
Type of Study: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Ecological Diversity
Received: 2024/01/25 | Accepted: 2024/03/26 | Published: 2024/03/31
Received: 2024/01/25 | Accepted: 2024/03/26 | Published: 2024/03/31
References
1. Alderton, D. (2004). Crocodiles and Alligators of the World. Fact on File, London, Great Britain. 192 pp.
2. Ashanani, M. V. and Pilo, B. (1995). Histological studies of musk gland of marsh crocodile Crocodylus plustris. Journal of Animal Morphology and Physiology, 42 (1 and 2): 117-120.
3. Balavand, A. R. (2022). Crocodile hunting strategy (CHS): a comparative study using benchmark functions. Iranian Journal of Numerical Analysis and Optimization, 38: 149-178. [DOI:10.1007/s00371-020-02009-x]
4. Barqi Q. H. (2000). Introduction, In: Alfred, J. R. B. (Ed.), Fauna of Gujarat (Part 1). Vertebrates. Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. pp. 1-14.
5. Bhatnagar, C. and Mahur, M. (2010). Observations on feeding behavior of a wild population of marsh crocodile in Baghdarrah Lake, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Reptile Rap, 10: 16-18.
6. Brazaitis, P. and Watanabe, M. E. (2011). Crocodilian behavior: a window to dinosaur behavior? Historical Biology, 23: 73-90. [DOI:10.1080/08912963.2011.560723]
7. Campbell, H. W. (1973). Observation on the acoustic behavior of crocodilians. Zoologica, 58 (1): 1-11. [DOI:10.5962/p.203220]
8. Cedeño-Vázquez, J. R, González-Avila, F. and González-Jáuregui, M. (2016). Crocodylus moreletii. Cannibalism. Mesoamerican Herpetology, 2: 470-472.
9. Champion H. G. and Seth, S. K. (1968). A revised survey of the forest types of India. Government of India, New Delhi. 404 pp.
10. Chavan, U. M. and Borkar, M. R. (2022). Population trends of Mugger Crocodile and human-crocodile interactions along the Savitri River at Mahad, Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 14 (11): 22118-22132. [DOI:10.11609/jott.7934.14.11.22118-22132]
11. Chavan, U. M. and Borkar, M. R. (2023). Observations on cooperative fishing, use of bait for hunting, propensity for marigold flowers and sentient behaviour in Mugger Crocodiles Crocodylus palustris (Lesson, 1831) of River Savitri at Mahad, Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 15 (8): 23750-23762. [DOI:10.11609/jott.8551.15.8.23750-23762]
12. Choudhury, B. C. and de Silva, A. (2013). Crocodylus palustris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T5667A3046723.
13. Daniel, J. C. (2002). The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians. Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford University Press, Mumbai, India. 238 pp.
14. de Silva, A. (2013). The Crocodiles of Sri Lanka. Published by the Author. Printed at AMP Print Shop, Gampola, Sri Lanka. 254 pp.
15. de Silva A. and Lenin, J. (2010). Mugger Crocodile Crocodylus palustris, In: Manolis, S. C. and Stevenson, C. (Eds.), Crocodiles. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, Third Edition, Crocodile Specialist Group: Darwin. pp. 94-98.
16. de Silva, M. C., Amarasinghe, A. A. T., De Silva, A. and Karunarathna, D. M. S. S. (2011). Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris Lesson, 1831) preys on a radiated tortoise in Sri Lanka. Taprobanica, 3 (1): 38-41. [DOI:10.47605/tapro.v3i1.42]
17. Delany, M. F., Woodward A. R., Kiltiei, R. A. and Moore, C. T. (2011). Mortality of American Alligators attributed to cannibalism. Herpetologica, 67: 174-185. [DOI:10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-10-00040.1]
18. Dharmkumarsinhji, K. S. (1947). Mating and the parental instinct of the marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris Lesson). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 47 (1): 174.
19. Dinets, V. (2015). Apparent coordination and collaboration in cooperatively hunting crocodilians. Ethology Ecology and Evolution, 27 (2): 244-250. [DOI:10.1080/03949370.2014.915432]
20. Dinets, V., Brueggen, J. C. and Brueggen, J. D. (2015). Crocodilians use tools for hunting, Ethology Ecology and Evolution, 27 (1): 74-78. [DOI:10.1080/03949370.2013.858276]
21. Doody J. S., Burghardt G. M. and Dinets V. (2013). Breaking the social-nonsocial dichotomy: a role for reptiles in vertebrate social behaviour research? Ethology, 119 (2): 95-103. [DOI:10.1111/eth.12047]
22. Fox, L. R. (1975). Cannibalism in natural populations. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 6: 87-106. [DOI:10.1146/annurev.es.06.110175.000511]
23. Grigg, G. C. and Kirshner, D. (2015). Biology and evolution of crocodylians. Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing, Australia. 648 pp. [DOI:10.1071/9781486300679]
24. Giri, V. B., Bauer, A. M., Vyas, R. and Patil, S. (2009). New species of rock-dwelling Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Gujarat, India. Journal of Herpetology, 43 (3): 385-393. [DOI:10.1670/08-137R1.1]
25. Garrick, L. D., Lang, J. W. and Herzog, H. A. (1982). Social signals of adult American alligators. Bulletin of American Museum Natural History, 160: 53-192.
26. Halliday, T. and Adler, K. (1989). Encyclopaedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Facts on File Inc., U.S.A. 143 pp.
27. King, F. W., Thorbjarnarson, J. and Yamashita, C. (1998). Cooperative feeding, a misinterpreted and under-reported behavior of crocodilians. Florida Museum of Natural History, p. 9. Available at: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/herpetology/herpbiology/bartram.htm (Accessed 12 July 2023).
28. Lang, J. W. (1987). Crocodilian behaviour: implication for management, In: Webb, G. J., Manolis, S. C. and Whitehead, P. J. (Eds.), Wildlife Management: Crocodiles and Alligators. Surrey Beatty, Sydney, Australia. pp. 273-294.
29. Lang, J. W., Whitaker, R. and Andrews, H. (1986). Male parental care in mugger crocodilian. National Geographic Research, 2 (4): 519-525.
30. Maritz, B., Alexander, G. J. and Maritz, R. A. (2019). The underappreciated extent of cannibalism and ophiophagy in African cobras. Ecology, 100 (2): 1-4. [DOI:10.1002/ecy.2522] [PMID]
31. Melo, L., Mendes Pontes, A. R. and da Monteiro, M. A. O. (2003). Infanticide and cannibalism in wild common marmosets. Folia Primatologica, 74 (1): 48-50. [DOI:10.1159/000068389] [PMID]
32. Mikloukho-Maklay, N. N. (1892). Puteshestviya na Bereg Maklaya [Travels to Maklay Coast]. Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg. 86 pp.
33. Mobaraki, A., McCaskill, L., Schepp, U., Abtin, E., Masroor, R., Pandhi, D., Desai, B., Mukherjee, S., Rasheed, T., Razzaque, S. A., de Silva, A., Stevenson, C., Rauhaus, A., Le, M. D., Rödder, D. and Ziegler, T. (2021). Conservation status of the Mugger (Crocodylus palustris): Establishing a task force for a poster species of climate change. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter, 40 (3): 12-20.
34. Murugan, V. T., Vishnu, S. N., Khanduri, S., Ramesh, C., Talukdar, G. and Das, A. (2020). Crocodilus palustris Mugger crocodile scavenging. Herpetological Review, 51 (2): 321-322.
35. Neill, W. T. (1971). The Last of the Ruling Reptiles. Alligators, Crocodiles and their Kin. Columbia University Press, London. 486 pp.
36. Patel, R. and Bagada, G. (2022). A brief avian species richness report of Junagadh, Gujarat, India. Journal of Forest Research, 11 (2): 1000313.
37. Patel, H., Vyas, R., Dudhatra, B., Naik, V., Chavda, A., Chauhan, D., Vaghashiya, A., Vagadiya, R. and Vaghashiya, P. (2019). Preliminary report on herpetofauna of Mt. Girnar, Gujarat, India. Journal of Animal Diversity, 1 (2): 9-35. [DOI:10.29252/JAD.2019.1.2.2]
38. Pereira, L. S., Agostinho, A. A. and Winemiller, K. O. (2017). Revisiting cannibalism in fishes. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 27 (3): 499-513. [DOI:10.1007/s11160-017-9469-y]
39. Polis, G. A. (1981). The evolution and dynamics of intraspecific predation. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 12: 225-251. [DOI:10.1146/annurev.es.12.110181.001301]
40. Polis, G. A. and Myers, C. A. (1985). A survey of intraspecific predation among reptiles and amphibians. Journal of Herpetology, 19 (1): 99-107. [DOI:10.2307/1564425]
41. Ranjitsinh, M. K. (1989). Mugger (Crocodylus palustris) eating soft shell turtle. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 86: 107.
42. Reber, S. A. (2018). Crocodilia Communication, In: Vonk, J. and Shackelford, T. K. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham, Germany. pp. 1-10. [DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_950-1]
43. Richards, P. M. and Wasilewski, J. (2003). Natural History Notes. Crocodylus acutus (American Crocodile) Cannibalism. Herpetological Review, 34: 371.
44. Reddy, P. S. (1978). Crocodile breeding in Indira Gandhi Zoological Park. Wildlife Club Newsletter (Dehra Dun), 6: 68-69.
45. Santiapillai, C. and de Silva, M. (2001). Status, distribution and conservation of crocodiles in Sri Lanka. Biological Conservation, 97 (3): 305-318. [DOI:10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00126-9]
46. Singh, H. S. (2017). Dispersion of the Asiatic lion Panthera leo persica and its survival in human-dominated landscape outside the Gir forest, Gujarat, India. Current Science, 112 (5): 933-940. [DOI:10.18520/cs/v112/i05/933-940]
47. Somaweera, R., Brien, M. and Shine, R. (2013). The role of predation in shaping crocodilian natural history. Herpetological Monogram, 27 (1): 23-51. [DOI:10.1655/HERPMONOGRAPHS-D-11-00001]
48. Staton, M. A. and Dixon, J. R. (1975). Studies on the dry season biology of Caiman crocodilus crocodilus from the Venezuelan Llanos. Memorias de la Sociedad de Ciencias Naturales "La Salle", 101: 237-265.
49. Stevenson, C. (2019). Crocodiles of the World. New Holland Publishers, London. 288 pp.
50. Ugemuge, S. S., Badhawan, A. D., Gupta, P. and Vashistha, G. (2023). A case of cannibalism in the Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) in Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, India. Reptiles and Amphibia, 30 (1): e20925. [DOI:10.17161/randa.v30i1.20925]
51. Vergne, A. L., Aubin, T., Martin, S. and Mathevon, N. (2012). Acoustic communication in crocodilians: information encoding and species specificity of juvenile calls. Animal Cognition, 15: 1095-1109. [DOI:10.1007/s10071-012-0533-7] [PMID]
52. Vaghashiya, P. M., Dudhatra, B. and Vyas, R. (2018). Parental behaviour of mugger (Crocodylus palustris) at Lal Dhori, Junagadh, Gujarat, India. CSG Newsletter, 37 (2): 16-18.
53. Vaghashiya, P., Chauhan, D. and Vyas, R. (2020). Monitoring a breeding mugger (Crocodylus palustris) population at Girnar, Junagadh, Gujarat, India. IRCF Reptiles and Amphibia 26 (3): 211-215. [DOI:10.17161/randa.v26i3.14407]
54. Vasava, A., Patel, D., Vyas, R., Mistry, V. and Patel, M. (2015). Crocs of Charotar: status, distribution and conservation of Mugger Crocodiles in Charotar region, Gujarat, India. Voluntary Nature Conservancy, Vallabh Vidyanagar, India. 52 pp. (Report).
55. Vyas, R. (2010). Mugger (Crocodylus palustris) population in and around Vadodara City Gujarat State, India. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 17 (1): 43-50.
56. Vyas, R. (2012). Current status of Marsh crocodiles Crocodylus palustris (Reptilia: Crocodylidae) in Vishwamitri River, Vadodara City, Gujarat, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 4 (14): 3333-3341. [DOI:10.11609/JoTT.o2977.3333-41]
57. Vyas, R. (2020). Big cats losing out to muggers at Gir forest, Gujarat, India. CSG Newsletter, 39 (1): 20-21.
58. Vyas, R. (2021). Remarkable predatory skills in Mugger Crocodiles makes them the apex predators of freshwater ecosystems. Reptile Rap #203, In: Zoo's Print, 36 (2): 02-06.
59. Vyas, R. (2023). The mysterious death of Marsh Crocodile Crocodylus palustris, Vadodara, Gujarat State, India. Reptiles and Amphibia, 30: e18141. [DOI:10.17161/randa.v30i1.18141]
60. Vyas, R. and Bhavsar, R. (2009). Movement of an individual mugger into urban areas of Vadodara City, Gujarat state, India. CSG Newsletter, 28 (3): 5-7.
61. Vyas, R. and Vaghashiya, P. (2020). Death of mugger crocodiles Crocodylus palustris falling from small dams in Gujarat, India. Herpetological Bulletin, 154: 20-22. [DOI:10.33256/hb154.2022]
62. Vyas, R., Mistry, V., Vaghasiya, P. and Chauhan, D. (2023). Review on Mugger (Crocodylus palustris) mortality by vehicle collisions in Gujarat State, India. Journal of Animal Diversity, 5 (1): 80-91. [DOI:10.61186/JAD.5.1.80]
63. Weldon, P. J., Brinkmeier, W. G. and Fortunato, H. (1992). Gular pumping response by juvenile American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) to meat scants. Chemical Senses, 17 (1): 79-93. [DOI:10.1093/chemse/17.1.79]
64. Weldon, P. J., Swenson, D. J., Olson, J. K. and Brinkmeier, W. G. (1990). The American alligator detects food chemicals in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Ethology, 85 (3): 191-198. [DOI:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1990.tb00399.x]
65. Whitaker, R. and Whitaker, Z. (1978a). Notes on vocalization and protective behavior in the mugger. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 75 (1): 227-228.
66. Whitaker, R. and Whitaker, Z. (1978b). Notes on captive breeding in mugger (Crocodylus palustris). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 75 (1): 228-231.
67. Whitaker, R. and Whitaker, Z. (1984). Reproductive biology of mugger (Crocodylus palustris). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 81 (2): 297-317.
68. Whitaker, R. and Whitaker, Z. (1989). Crocodiles: Their ecology, management, and conservation. IUCN Publication New Series, International :union: for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Gland, Switzerland. 308 pp.
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
| Designed & Developed by : Yektaweb