Total length and head length relationship in Mugger Crocodiles Crocodylus palustris (Reptilia: Crocodilia: Crocodylidae) in Iran

Authors

  • Asghar Mobaraki Natural Environment Deputy, Wildlife Conservation and Management Bureau, Department of Environment, Tehran, Iran. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5346-8342
  • Elham Abtin Natural Environment Division, Department of Environment Office in Sistsan and Baluchestan Province, Zahedan, Iran.
  • Malihe Erfani Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
  • Colin Stevenson Crocodiles of the World, Burford Road, Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, OX18 3NX, UK.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6272.13.8.19162-19164

Keywords:

Mugger crocodile, conservation, head length, total length

Abstract

 This study quantifies the morphometric relationship between total length (TL) and head length (HL) for a sample of 53 Mugger crocodiles (43–280 cm TL) in Iran. Across the size range of crocodiles sampled, the relationship was best described by a linear regression (TL= 15.52 + 6.283HL). The average TL/HL ratio was 7.034, which is similar to that reported for other crocodilian species and confirms its usefulness for estimating TL based on HL during population surveys.

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Published

26-07-2021 — Updated on 26-07-2021

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