KENDRAPARA: As many as 1,348 saltwater crocodile hatchlings were born in Bhitarkanika national park in Kendrapara district recently.
“This year, during the nesting season, we sighted 114 nests which are usually made with mangrove twigs, leaves and mud. Nests are usually made in areas on high ground which are not inundated in floodwaters during the rainy season and where they can get direct sunlight,” assistant conservator of forest of the park Manas Das said.
A single female crocodile typically lays a clutch of between 30 to 60 eggs that incubate for 70-80 days. Around 40 per cent eggs are hatched in the wild and 50 per cent survive the first year. “As per our calculation, around 1,348 hatchlings were born recently in Bhitarkanika from 114 nests. In many cases, the female opens the eggs carefully with her mouth and puts baby crocodiles in her gular pouch to release them into nearby wallows. After eight to 10 days, the females release the babies in the nearby tidal water bodies,” said Dr Sudhakar Kar, a noted crocodile researcher and former wildlife researcher of Forest department.