World Crocodile Day 2024, observed on June 17th, also commemorates the 50th anniversary of India’s Crocodile Conservation Project (CCP), initiated in 1975 at Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha.
About Crocodiles:
- Crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles, recognized for their lizard-like appearance, conical teeth, short legs, and clawed webbed toes, making them the largest surviving species in the vertebrate class Reptilia.
- Their habitats include slow-moving rivers, freshwater swamps, lakes, and coastal swamps. The saltwater crocodile is an exception, preferring brackish and marine environments along with lower stretches of rivers.
- These nocturnal animals spend most of their time in water and are poikilothermic, regulating their body temperature only to a limited degree, which makes them sensitive to cold.
- Major threats to crocodile populations include illegal poaching for scales and leather, habitat destruction, egg predation, dam construction, and sand mining.
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