42 km from the Chennai city, Madras/Chennai Crocodile
Bank was founded with an aim to protect and conserve the endangered
crocodiles and reptiles. Today, it houses crocodiles that are kept in
their natural surroundings and the pools. The lush green tropical
forests provide shade to the thousands of crocodilians basking around
the shores of the water with jaws wide open. Also known as Chennai
Crocodile Bank, this crocodile conservation centre is the largest
croc-breeding site in India. The visit to the place gives a feeling of
being one with the aqua world with the faint smell of fish and moss in
the air and dampness of the place. The splashing of waters as the
crocodiles jumps in or feeding crabs to them is a scene that looks
creepy. Enclosed in pens or the Marsh or Mugger breeding pit, these
long-jawed, sharp-teethed creatures look as formidable as ever and
reminds one of the 'Jurassic Park', the recreation of the age of
reptiles.Crocodile Bank and Breeding Centre was started in 1976 with just twenty-five reptiles and they have eagerly multiplied to about 7,000 inmates, especially Muggers. At that time, this creature was on the brink of extinction because of its valuable hide. The Bank houses about seven crocodilian species out of the 25 found in world-over, out of which, three are exclusively Indian including the 3.6 m long Marsh or Mugger, the 4 to 5 m long Gharials (the crocodile with the longest jaw and pot-like snout; and 8 m long Saltwater crocodiles, the largest of all reptiles. The last of all weighs about 900 kg and are found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Sunderbans in West Bengal and in coastal Orissa. The difference between species is in the arrangement of the jaws and head bones. The Crocodile Bank also conducts research work on these crocodiles, turtles and monitor lizards.
