06/14/2026
A male crocodile in India is carrying over 100 babies on his back — and the photo looks almost too extraordinary to be real.
This is a gharial, one of the most endangered animals on Earth. Fewer than 650 adults survive in the wild, almost all of them in India's Chambal River. This particular male — 16 feet long — fathered over 100 hatchlings from 7 to 8 different females. Every single baby crawled to him for protection.
Here's the remarkable part: gharials cannot carry their young in their mouths like other crocodiles. Their snout is too long and narrow. So the babies do the only thing they can — they climb onto dad.
Wildlife photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee spent weeks in the National Chambal Sanctuary to capture this moment. The photo was shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
One of the rarest animals alive. One of the most stunning wildlife photos ever taken. And one father who showed up for every single one of his 100 kids.
