Record hatching of saltwater crocodiles in Odisha's Bhitarkanika
Record hatching of saltwater crocodiles in Odisha's Bhitarkanika
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Kendrapada: The annual breeding and nesting season of these reptiles came to an end as 3,700 newborn estuarine crocodiles made their way out of 122 nests and into the water bodies in and around the Bhitarkanika national park.
Female crocodiles typically lay 50 to 60 eggs, and after 70 to 80 days of incubation, the hatchlings normally come out of the nests. Each nest produces about 50% of the world's hatchlings, and only one in 500 of them survives to adulthood due to their extremely high mortality rate. In the wild, predatory aquatic animals eat the young. The temperature of a crocodile egg determines its sex throughout the first half of its development.
According to herpetologist and wildlife researcher Sudhakar Kar, "Crocodiles typically establish nests in regions on high ground so that they do not be inundated during the high tide of floodwaters during the rainy season and can enjoy direct sunshine."
Notable facts include the discovery of 84 nests, the birth of about 2,500 baby crocodiles in 2021, 3,000 in 2020, and as many in 2019, as well as the hatching of 2,900 eggs in 2018 and 2,500 in 2017.
It is important to note that the national park was closed from May 1 to July 31 due to crocodiles' annual practise of laying their eggs on the water's surface as part of their nesting process. During this time, the reptiles frequently exhibit violent behaviour and assault visitors.
Visitors can access the national park from Gupti, Khola, and Chandbali by water, or they can enter through Dangamal's main gate. For them, cottages have been built in Gupti and Dangamal.
