Juvenile gharial sighting signals revival of Assam’s river ecosystem

A juvenile Gharial was recently sighted in the Kekaidong River, which has been hailed as a positive indicator of Assam’s improving riverine ecosystem and biodiversity conservation efforts.

• The Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is one of the world’s most critically endangered crocodilian species.

Key Features

• Characterised by a long, narrow snout adapted for catching fish.
• It is a fish-eating (piscivorous) crocodilian that depends on clean, deep, free-flowing rivers.
• The name “gharial” is derived from the Hindi word “ghara” (pot), referring to the bulbous knob that develops at the tip of the snout of adult males.
• The ghara makes the gharial the only visibly sexually dimorphic crocodilian, as it is present only in mature males.

Distribution

• Today, the species survives only in India and Nepal.
• In India, remnant populations are found in tributaries of the Ganges River system, including Girwa River, Son River, Ramganga River, Gandak River, Chambal River & Mahanadi River.
• The National Chambal Sanctuary supports around 90% of India’s surviving gharial population.

Threats

The species has undergone a sharp decline due to habitat degradation, sand mining, river pollution, dam and barrage construction, declining fish populations and entanglement in fishing nets.

Behaviour

• Gharials are polygamous, with one dominant male defending a territory occupied by several females.
• As in other crocodilians, the sex of hatchlings is determined by the incubation temperature (temperature-dependent sex determination).

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Gharial – Critically Endangered (CR).
• It is one of the most threatened crocodilian species globally and is the focus of captive breeding and river restoration programmes in India and Nepal.

Sources: DD & Smithsonian’s National Zoo & WWF

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