Gharial Crocodiles

Why in News?

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister recently released 10 gharials into Chambal River at the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary in Morena.

• It is a type of Asian crocodilian distinguished by their long, thin snouts.
• Scientific Name - Gavialis gangeticus.
• Place in mythology - Gharials hold sacred significance, often depicted as the divine mount of the goddess Ganga.
• The name 'gharial' comes from the Hindi word ghara, meaning pot or vessel, referring to the bulbous snout tip of adult males, resembles an inverted pot.
• Appearance - Their slender snouts, lined with numerous sharp, interlocking teeth, are adapted to trap fish, the mainstay of their diet.

• Size -Males grow from 3-6 meters, and females 2.6–4.5 meters.
• Breeding - Gharials mate during November, December, and January.
• Habitat - Sandbanks, sandbars, and islands are critical to their ecology, serving as preferred sites for basking and nesting.
• Distribution – India and Nepal.
• Diet – Fish eating (carnivores).
• Gharials do not stalk and lunge at prey like other crocodilians, their snouts contain sensory cells that can detect vibrations in the water.
• Threats
  • Historical - Overhunting for skins, trophies, eggs, and traditional medicine.
  • Modern - Dam construction, irrigation canals, siltation, river course changes, embankments, sand-mining, pollution, and fishing.
  • Specific threat - Gill nets kill gharials of all sizes, even in protected areas.

• Conservation Efforts – Captive breeding to rear and release hatchlings back into the river, monitoring populations, actively managing threats and engaging local communities in preservation.
• Today, the species survives primarily in 5  refuges

• Conservation Status
  • IUCN – Critically Endangered.
  • WPA, 1972 - Schedule I.
  • CITES - Appendix I.

References

1. The Indian Express | Why gharials are endangered?
2. WII | Gavialis gangeticus
3. National Geographic | Gharial