The captivating sight of the elusive mugger crocodile slithering through the streets of the city has caught the attention of locals and netizens.
A video that has gone viral on social media shows a mugger crocodile crossing a road as commuters wait for the reptile to pass by.
Tamil Nadu forest Secretary, Supriya Sahu, tweeted on the video clip and said that the wildlife division has been alerted, and they are on the job to avoid any untoward incident.
"There are a few mugger crocodiles in several of the water bodies in Chennai. This one (crocodile) has come out as the water has overflown due to massive rains under the impact of Cyclone Michuang. There is no possibility of harm to humans if these animals are left alone and unprovoked," Sahu said.
Meanwhile, Cyclone Michaung, which is currently over the Bay of Bengal, is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm which is expected to make landfall between Nellore and Machilipatnam on December 5 in Tamil Nadu state's Chennai city.
Since last week, Chennai has been hit by heavy rains with most areas in the low-lying areas submerged in water.
Authorities have shut down educational institutions and officegoers have been asked to work from home in heavily affected districts in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.