Meet Dhritiman Mukherjee, a gifted wildlife and conservation photographer from India who has dedicated his life to animal conservation.
It’s no wonder that after 20 years and 280 days in the field, he’s seen his fair share of incredible experiences.
This incredible photo of an endangered crocodile carrying his young through the water is our favorite.
The crocodile is a male gharial crocodile, the biggest crocodile on the planet. Since the 1930s, the population of an ancient species that was first shown around 4,000 years ago has been significantly dwindling.
This adds to the photo’s significance; this father is undoubtedly contributing to the city’s population increase, which now stands at just under 1,000 people.
“This man had mated with seven or eight females, and you can see how committed he was,” Mukherjee explains.
“When compared to saltwater and marsh crocodiles, the gharial is usually a shy crocodile. This one, on the other hand, was extremely defensive, and if I approached too close, it would charge me. It has the potential to be quite aggressive.”
Crocodiles are not uncommon in carrying their young, however they normally transfer them using their jaws. This would be impossible due to the gharials’ oddly formed nose, thus they turn to alternative methods, as you can see.
Here’s a look at some more of Mukherjee’s photos:
