Diurnal Encounter-Based Size Distribution, Nesting Sites and Habitat Characteristics of the Mugger Crocodile (

Mugger crocodiles are the apex predator species of the wetland ecosystem in Nepal, and their conservation could safeguard the entire ecosystem. However, studies on their population status and habitat characteristics are limited, with no scientific research conducted on their nesting ecology to date. Therefore, we selected muggers as a representative species to better understand their daytime sightings, nesting characteristics, and the fine-scale anthropogenic and environmental factors influencing their occurrence in five lakes of the Beeshazari Lake complex (BLC; Beeshazar Lake, Kumal Lake, Tikauli Lake, Kingfisher Lake, and Batuli Pokhari) of Chitwan National Park, Nepal. We conducted a preliminary survey, followed by a daytime sightings survey, a nesting site survey, and a habitat assessment survey in March 2023. A generalised linear model under binary logistic regression was used to analyse the factors influencing the habitat characteristics of muggers. During the research period, 50 detections of muggers were recorded, 66% of which were observed basking and 34% were submerged in the lakes. The Relative Abundance Index of the muggers in the BLC was 3.29 km