Dhritiman Mukherjee, an accomplished Indian wildlife photographer and animal conservationist, has dedicated his life to protecting animals.
It’s no surprise that after spending more than 20 years and 280 days a year in the field, he has seen his share of incredible moments.
This is our favorite photo, in which an endangered crocodile carries his babies through the water.
The crocodile is a male gharial crocodile who is the largest of all the living crocodiles. An ancient species first depicted over 4,000 years ago has had its population dramatically declining since the 1930s.
This makes the photo even more unique; this father is definitely doing his part to help the population growth, which is just under 1,000.
“This male had mated with seven or eight females, and you can see that it was quite active,” said Mukherjee.
“The gharial is typically a quiet crocodile compared to saltwater and marsh crocs. But this one was aggressive, charging me if I got too close. It may be pretty dangerous.
It’s not unusual for crocodiles to transport their young in this manner, but they usually use their mouths. This wouldn’t be feasible because of the gharial’s odd-shaped snout, so they turned to other methods.
Here is a selection of some more of Mukherjee’s images:
