He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
How many crocodiles do you see in this photo? A real undertaking, for which you need to arm yourself with a lot of patience. It was also for the author of the photo, Dhritiman Mukherjee. The one that portrays this family of crocodiles is one of the beautiful images that is participating in the 56th edition of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, one of the best-known nature photography competitions in the world.
Although the winners will be announced on October 13, the National History Museum has already organized an exhibition featuring photos from the 202 edition, which will open its doors today. Among these is the extraordinary image of Dhritiman Mukherjee, taken in the National Shrine of Chambal in Uttar Pradesh in northern India.
We are in the middle of the period of reproduction. Here a 4 meter long male gharial or Ganges gharial crocodile (Gavialis gangeticus) literally provides support for its numerous offspring. A sort of "babywearing" of the animal world.
The crocodile's name derives from the Hindhi word “ghara” which means “round vessel” and refers to the part present on the tip of the long and thin snout, which is used to vocalize and produce bubbles underwater during reproduction.
How many crocodiles can you count in this picture?
From the image a game was born, a real challenge to understand how many crocodiles are present in Mukherjee's photo. It is really difficult to do this because some little ones tower over their neighbors while others are swimming in the water. But it's worth a try. Even if there are many in the photo, unfortunately these animals are at risk of extinction. Populations once exceeded 20.000 across South Asia, but have shrunk dramatically over the past century. This is mainly due to changes in river flows due to the presence of dams and sand extraction, as well as overfishing.
The shot, praised by the jury of this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) competition, had the merit of turning the spotlight on this species, which is in danger of disappearing. It seems to say that each of these young must survive to adulthood and reproduce. Today there are only 1000 adult specimens and three quarters are concentrated in the Uttar Pradesh sanctuary.
“Normally the gharial is a rather shy crocodile compared to saltwater and marsh crocodiles. But this was very protective and if I got too close he would attack me. It could be very aggressive, ”Dhritiman told BBC News.
A beautiful image of fatherly love that has already won for us.
Sources of reference: Iucn, NHM, BBC
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