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Mugger Crocodile Habitat Use in the Moyar River Was Most Closely Linked to Fish Biomass

Wild mugger crocodile walking towards the Chambal River in India
Research: Ecology · Conservation: Human–wildlife conflict

A 2026 study from the Wildlife Institute of India examined how prey availability and river conditions were related to habitat use by mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) in the Moyar River, while also investigating interactions between crocodiles and fishers at nearby Bhavanisagar Reservoir in Tamil Nadu.

Fish biomass was the strongest habitat-use predictor

Mugger habitat use was most closely linked to fish biomass, which the study used as an indicator of prey availability rather than as a record of which fish individual crocodiles actually ate. Sandy banks were the crocodiles’ most preferred basking habitat, while wider river sections also showed a weaker relationship with habitat use.

Fishers perceived net damage more often than monitoring recorded it

The researchers also compared fishers’ perceptions of crocodile-caused net damage with damage recorded during experimental net monitoring. Fishers perceived such damage at about 2.2 times the frequency recorded during experimental monitoring. The study calculated a mean four-month loss estimate of about ₹32,029 from crocodile-related net damage, and nets set closer to the bank experienced more damage than nets placed farther away.

The authors describe the results as baseline information for habitat management and for reducing conflict between fishers and crocodiles, including the development of mitigation measures and compensation schemes.

Sources and image credit

  1. Thompson, B. R., Gopi, G. V., & Das, A. (2026). Influnece of prey availability and abiotic factors on habitat utilization of mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) and interactions with Fishermen in the Moyar-Bhavanisagar landscape [M.Sc. dissertation]. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.Wildlife Institute of India M.Sc. dissertation issued in 2026 and accessioned by the WII Digital Repository on 30 July 2026. It examined mugger habitat use in the Moyar River and crocodile-related fishing-net damage at Bhavanisagar Reservoir.

Image: Arjun Bharioke — wild Mugger Crocodile walking towards the Chambal River in National Chambal Sanctuary, India, 23 October 2015. Source: Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Representative species image; not an individual from the Moyar–Bhavanisagar study. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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