page_title: Madras Crocodile Bank Trust
section_title: Exhibits
hierarchical_section_title: Madras Crocodile Bank Trust / Exhibits
caption_attribution_description: English: Typical specimen display boart at the CrocBank, Chennai, on 21 July 2018
context_page_description: The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology is a reptile zoo and herpetology research station, located 40 kilometres south of the city of Chennai, in state of Tamil Nadu, India. The centre is both a registered trust and a recognized zoo under the Wildlife Act, 1972 and comes under the purview of the Central Zoo Authority, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. It was established with the aim of saving three Indian endangered species of crocodile—the marsh or mugger crocodile, the saltwater crocodile, and the gharial, which at the time of founding of the trust were all nearing extinction.
  The CrocBank grounds are covered by coastal dune forest providing a haven for native wildlife, including large breeding colonies of water birds and a secure nesting beach for olive ridley sea turtles. The high aquifer on the sandy coast provides sufficient water supply and the proximity to the major tourist destination of Mahabalipuram ensures annual visitation. The centre is the biggest crocodile sanctuary in India. It covers 8.5 acres and had over 450,000 visitors in 2007.
context_section_description: The bank is home to 14 species of the 23 crocodilian species living across the world, two of which are listed by the IUCN as critically endangered and three more as threatened. The 14 crocodile species available in the bank are mugger (Crocodylus palustris), salt-water crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), tomistoma (Tomistoma schlegelii), American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), Morelet's crocodile (Crocodylus Moreletii), spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus), West African dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis), Australian fresh water crocodile (Crocodylus Johnsoni), African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus), dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), yacare caiman (Caiman yacare), Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) and the endangered Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis). The bank currently houses over 2,400 crocodiles and also many species of turtles, snakes, and lizards which are viewable by the public. The bank houses 12 endangered species of turtles and tortoises and 5 species of snakes, including king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), Asian water monitors (Varanus salvator salvator), two species of pythons, and albino cobras. Of the 5,000 reptiles bred at the bank, 3,000 represent the native Indian species Crocodylus palustris, known as muggers. One of the biggest attractions of the park is a fierce salt-water crocodile known as Jaws III. This species, believed to be the biggest in southern Asia, is 17 feet (5.2 m) long and weighs over a ton. The bank is also going to get four new species of crocodiles. These are black caimans, smooth-fronted caimans, Cuban crocodiles and broad-snouted caimans. Anacondas will also appear at the bank. Since April, 2016 four Komodo dragons - three male, one female - have been added to the list of exhibits. The dragons were acquired from Bronx Zoo in New York.
  Reptile stock at the CrocBank as on 1 April 2011 is as follows:
  The bank plans to introduce a night safari between 7 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The visitors can observe the crocodiles during the night time, splashing water, jaw-slapping or reclaiming territories. They will be taught counting crocs in the night by counting the bright eye shines. The centre also plans to have on display the Aldabras tortoises from the islands of Seychelles.
  The bank also functions as a natural shelter for a variety of birds, enabling bird-watching.
caption: Information boards like this one provide detailed descriptions about the specimens on display in the park
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