<p class="title">The Bhitarkanika national park has become the largest habitat of the endangered estuarine crocodiles in the country with a record number of their nesting sites spotted in it, a forest official said.<br /><br />Altogether 101 nesting sites of estuarine crocodiles were found this time by enumerators, Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, Bimal Prasanna Acharya told PTI.</p>.<p class="title">Stating that the figure was 80 last year, he said the nesting spots had registered 25 per cent rise this year.<br /><br />A female crocodile lays 50 to 60 eggs and the hatchlings usually emerge from the nests after 70 to 80 days of incubation period, he said.</p>.<p class="title">At least 1698 crocodiles, including albino species, were counted this year along the water-bodies of Mahanadi delta region, while the figure recorded last year stood at 1682.</p>.<p class="title">Estuarine crocodiles are also found in West Bengals Sundarban areas having the country's largest mangrove cover.</p>.<p class="title">Besides, the mangrove wetlands in Andaman Islands are home to these species, but those cannot match the density and population of crocodile available in the wild habitats of Bhitarkanika, he said. </p>
<p class="title">The Bhitarkanika national park has become the largest habitat of the endangered estuarine crocodiles in the country with a record number of their nesting sites spotted in it, a forest official said.<br /><br />Altogether 101 nesting sites of estuarine crocodiles were found this time by enumerators, Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, Bimal Prasanna Acharya told PTI.</p>.<p class="title">Stating that the figure was 80 last year, he said the nesting spots had registered 25 per cent rise this year.<br /><br />A female crocodile lays 50 to 60 eggs and the hatchlings usually emerge from the nests after 70 to 80 days of incubation period, he said.</p>.<p class="title">At least 1698 crocodiles, including albino species, were counted this year along the water-bodies of Mahanadi delta region, while the figure recorded last year stood at 1682.</p>.<p class="title">Estuarine crocodiles are also found in West Bengals Sundarban areas having the country's largest mangrove cover.</p>.<p class="title">Besides, the mangrove wetlands in Andaman Islands are home to these species, but those cannot match the density and population of crocodile available in the wild habitats of Bhitarkanika, he said. </p>