Flowers of a specific kind enchant the mugger or Indian marsh crocodile, “underestimated” like all other reptiles because of the small size and simple structure of their brain, a new study has found.
Observing the muggers (Crocodylus palustris) of Savitri River in Maharashtra from 2014 to May 2023, zoologists Utkarsh M. Chavan and Manoj R. Borkar found that the crocodiles were attracted to marigolds, often basking, floating, or lying in close contact with garlands discarded from offerings to corpses brought to the riverbank for cremation.
The former is associated with the Zoology Department in Mumbai’s Hazarimal Somani College and the latter with the same department in Goa’s Carmel College of Arts, Science and Commerce for Women.
