Swamp crocodiles in Nepal turned orange

Orange crocodiles were spotted in Chitwan National Park at the foot of the Himalayas. Experts from the Leibniz Institute wondered about the reasons for such an unusual color of reptiles, and in order to get an answer to it, they teamed up with the project Mecistops, engaged in the protection of the endangered African narrow-necked crocodile in Ivory Coast and West Africa.

So, experts have found that the unusual orange color of reptiles may be due to the fact that they have been in the rivers and streams of the national park for a long time, in which there is an extremely high level of iron content. It, in turn, as experts have noticed, reacts with oxygen, thereby forming iron oxide with a characteristic orange color.

Since these two species of crocodiles spend a significant part of their lives in the water, given that the gavials are almost not adapted to walking on the ground, their scales and teeth could be covered with a layer of rusty particles. The researchers explained that the orange color of reptiles is temporary, and it should be easily washed off in less iron-rich reservoirs.