Gharial
Conservation status
Critically endangered (IUCN)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Crocodilia Family: Gavialidae Genus: Gavialis Species: G. gangeticus
Binomial name
Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789)

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), sometimes called the Indian gharial or gavial, is one of two surviving members of the family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodile-like reptiles with long, narrow jaws. The gharial is the second-longest of all living crocodilians: a large male can approach 6 meters in length.^[1] The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... . ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Reptilia redirects here. ... black: range of Crocodilia Families Gavialidae Alligatoridae Crocodylidae Crocodilia is an order of large reptiles that appeared about 84 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian stage). ... Binomial name Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789) Taxonomy The Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is the only surviving member of the family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodile-like reptiles with long, narrow jaws. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Johann Friedrich Gmelin (August 8, 1748 - November 1, 1804) was a German naturalist and botanist. ... Year 1789 (MDCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... The hierarchy of scientific classification In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is a rank, or a taxon in that rank. ... Binomial name Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789) Taxonomy The Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is the only surviving member of the family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodile-like reptiles with long, narrow jaws. ... For other uses, see Crocodile (disambiguation). ... Reptilia redirects here. ... black: range of Crocodilia Families Gavialidae Alligatoridae Crocodylidae Crocodilia is an order of large reptiles that appeared about 84 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian stage). ...

Ancestry

The fossil history of the Gavialoidea is quite well known, with the earliest examples diverging from the other crocodilians in the late Cretaceous. The most distinctive feature of the group is the very long, narrow snout, which is an adaptation to a diet of small fish. Although gharials have sacrificed the great mechanical strength of the robust skull and jaw that most crocodiles and alligators have, and in consequence cannot prey on large creatures, the reduced weight and water resistance of their lighter skull and very narrow jaw gives gharials the ability to catch rapidly moving fish, using a side-to-side snapping motion. // The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ...

The earliest Gavialoidea may or may not have been related to the modern types: some died out at the same time as the dinosaurs (at the end of the Cretaceous), others survived until the early Eocene The modern forms appeared at much the same time, evolving in the estuaries and coastal waters of Africa, but crossing the Atlantic to reach South America as well. At their peak, the Gavialoidea were numerous and diverse, they occupied much of Asia and America up until the Pliocene. One species, Rhamphosuchus crassidens of India, are believed to have grown to an enormous 15 metres (~50 feet) or more. Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... hfajhfiudshfas == == == --24. ... The Atlantic Ocean, not including Arctic and Antarctic regions. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ...

Distribution

Gharial Distribution

Northern Indian subcontinent: Bhutan (almost extinct), Bangladesh (close to extinction), India (present in small numbers and increasing), Myanmar (possibly extinct), Nepal (unknown), Pakistan (close to extinction). Usually found in the river systems of Indus (Pakistan) and the Brahmaputra (Bangladesh, Bhutan & North eastern India), the Ganges (Bangladesh, India & Nepal), and the Mahanadi (in the rainforest biome)(India), with small numbers in Kaladan and the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar. It is sympatric, in respective areas, with the Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) and the Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). The Indus River {Urdu: Sindh; Sindhi: Sindhu; Punjabi (Shahmukhi: سندھ, Gurmukhi: ਸਿੰਧੂ) ; Hindi and Sanskrit: सिन्धु ; Persian: حندو ; Pashto: ّآباسنFather of Rivers; Tibetan: Lion River; Chinese: Yìndù; Greek: Ινδός Indos} is the longest and most important river in Pakistan. ... The Brahmaputra is one of the major rivers of Asia. ... Ganga redirects here. ... The Mahanadi River is a river of eastern India. ... The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia. ... The Ayeyarwady River or Irrawaddy River (Burmese: ; MLCTS: ) is a river that flows through Burma (Myanmar). ... Binomial name Crocodylus palustris Lesson, 1831 Distribution of Crocodylus palustris The Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), also called the Iranian, Marsh, or Persian Crocodile (in Persian گاندو Gandu), is found throughout the Indian subcontinent and the surrounding countries (India, Pakistan; in Pakistans coastal regions of the Makran and delta marshlands of... Binomial name (Schneider, 1801) Range of the Saltwater Crocodile in black The Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest of all living crocodilians and reptiles. ...

Habitat

Riverine - most adapted to the calmer areas in the deep fast moving rivers. The physical attributes of the gharial do not make it very suited for moving about on land. In fact the only reasons the gharial leaves the water is either to bask in the sun or to nest on the sandbanks of the rivers.

Appearance

Side Shot

Characteristic elongated, narrow snout, similar only to the closely related False gharial, (Tomistoma schlegelii). The snout shape varies with the age of the saurian. The snout becomes progressively thinner the older the gharial gets. The bulbous growth on the tip of the male's snout is called a 'ghara' (after the Indian word meaning 'pot'), present in mature individuals. The bulbous growth is used for various activities, it is used to generate a resonant hum during vocalization, it acts as a visual lure for attracting females and it is also used to make bubbles which have been associated with the mating rituals of the species. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Binomial name Tomistoma schlegelii (Müller, 1838) The false gharial or Malayan gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) is a fresh-water reptile, resembling a crocodile with a very thin and elongated snout resembling that of the gharial, hence its name. ...

Male Gharial at the San Diego Zoo

Close-up of the male's ghara.

The elongated jaws are lined with many interlocking, razor-sharp teeth - an adaptation to the diet (predominantly fish in adults). This species is one of the largest of all crocodilian species, approaching the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and the Nile crocodile in maximum size - males reach at least 5 meters in length, and often approach 6 meters. Reports of 7 meter animals exist, but are unconfirmed. The leg musculature of the gharial is not suited to enable the animal to raise the body off the ground (on land) in order to achieve the high-walk gait - being able only to push its body forward across the ground ('belly-sliding'), although it can do this with some speed when required. However, when in water, the gharial is the most nimble and quick of all the crocodiles in the world. The tail seems overdeveloped and is laterally flattened, more so than other crocodiles, this enables it to achieve the excellent water locomotive abilities. Image File history File linksMetadata PHOTO_2006-01-03_123558_resize_resize. ... Image File history File linksMetadata PHOTO_2006-01-03_123558_resize_resize. ... Image File history File linksMetadata PHOTO_2006-01-03_123444_resize_resize. ... Image File history File linksMetadata PHOTO_2006-01-03_123444_resize_resize. ... Binomial name (Schneider, 1801) Range of the Saltwater Crocodile in black The Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest of all living crocodilians and reptiles. ... Binomial name (Laurenti, 1768) The Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) is one of the 4 species of crocodiles found in Africa, and the second largest species of crocodile. ...

The gharial has 27 to 29 upper and 25 or 26 lower teeth on each side. These teeth are not received into interdental pits; the first, second, and third mandibular teeth fit into notches in the upper jaw. The front teeth are the largest. The gharial's snout is narrow and long, with a dilation at the end and its nasal bones are comparatively short and are widely separated from the pre-maxillaries. The nasal opening of a gharial is smaller than the supra-temporal fossae. The gharial's lower anterior margin of orbit (jugal) is raised and its mandibular symphysis is extremely long, extending to the 23rd or 24th tooth. A dorsal shield is formed from four longitudinal series of juxtaposed, keeled and bony scutes.^[2] A symphysis is a fibrocartilaginous fusion between two bones. ... A scute (Latin scutum, shield) is a horny, chitinous, or bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle or the underside of a snake. ...

The length of the snout is 3.5 (in adults) to 5.5 times (in young) the breadth of the snout's base. Nuchal and dorsal scutes form a single continuous shield composed of 21 or 22 transverse series. Gharials have an outer row of soft, smooth or feebly-keeled scutes in addition to the bony dorsal scutes. They also have two small post-occipital scutes.

The outer toes of a gharial are two-thirds webbed, while the middle toe is one-third webbed. Gharials have a strong crest on the outer edge of the forearm, leg and foot. Typically, adult gharials are of a dark olive hue while young ones are pale olive, with dark brown spots or cross-bands.^[2]

Diet

Young gharials eat insects, larvae, and small frogs. Mature adults feed almost solely on fish, although some individuals have been known to scavenge dead animals. Their snout morphology is ideally suited for piscivory; their long, narrow snouts afford very little resistance to water in swiping motions to snap up fish in the water. Their numerous needle-like teeth are perfect for holding on to struggling, slippery fish. This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...

Danger to humans

The Gharial is not a man-eater. Despite its immense size, its thin, fragile jaws make it physically incapable of devouring any large animal, including a human being. The myth that gharials eat humans may come partly from their similar appearance to Crocodiles and because jewelry has been found in their stomachs. However, the gharial may have swallowed this jewelry while scavenging corpses or as gastroliths used to aid digestion or buoyancy management. For other uses, see Crocodile (disambiguation). ... Gastroliths (stomach stones or gizzard stones) are rocks, which are or have been held inside the digestive tract of an animal. ...

Breeding

The mating season is during November through December and well into January. The nesting and laying of eggs takes place in the dry season of March, April, and May. This is because during the dry season the rivers shrink a bit and the sandy river banks are available for nesting. Between 30 and 50 eggs are deposited into the hole that the female digs up before it is covered over carefully. After about 90 days, the juveniles emerge, although there is no record of the female assisting the juveniles into the water after they hatch (probably because their jaws are not suited for carrying the young due to the needle like teeth).However the mother does protect the young in the water for a few days till they learn to fend for themselves.

Conservation

In the 1970s the gharial came to the brink of extinction and even now remains on the critically endangered list. The conservation efforts of the environmentalists in cooperation with several governments has led to some reduction in the threat of extinction. Some hope lies with the conservation and management programs in place as of 2004. Full protection was granted in the 1970s in the hope of reducing poaching losses, although these measures were slow to be implemented at first. Now there are 9 protected areas for this species in India which are linked to both captive breeding and 'ranching' operations where eggs collected from the wild are raised in captivity (to reduce mortality due to natural predators) and then released back into the wild (the first being released in 1981). More than 3000 animals have been released through these programs, and the wild population in India is estimated at around 1500 animals - with perhaps between one and two hundred animals in the remainder of its range. The release of captive gharials has not met with the success that was expected. Recently more than 50 gharials died in India in the Chambal River due to unknown causes. This recent death toll is expected to have decreased the number of breeding pairs to less than 400. Tests of the carcasses conducted at the IVRI suggest have suggested the possibility of poisoning by metal pollutants.

Recently this species has moved from Endangered to Critically Endangered on the 2007 Red List of endangered species of animals and plants issued by the World Conservation Union, and qualifies for protection under the CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) Appendix II.^[3][4] The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between Governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). ...

Taxonomy

The gharial and its extinct relatives are grouped together by taxonomists in several different ways:

• If the three surviving groups of crocodilians are regarded as separate families, then the gharial becomes one of two members of the Gavialidae, which is related to the families Crocodylidae (crocodiles) and Alligatoridae (alligators and caymans).
• Alternatively, the three groups are all classed together as the family Crocodylidae, but belong to the subfamilies Gavialinae, Crocodylinae, and Alligatorinae.
• Finally, palaentologists tend to speak of the broad lineage of gharial-like creatures over time using the term Gavialoidea.

Janke et al. (2005), using molecular genetic evidence, found the gharial and the false gharial (Tomistoma) to be close relatives, and placed them together in the same family. Genera Crocodylus Osteolaemus Tomistoma A crocodile can be any of the 14 species of large, water-loving reptiles in the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the subfamily Crocodylinae). ... Living Genera Alligator Caiman Melanosuchus Paleosuchus Alligators and caimans are reptiles, small species of crocodilians and forming the family Alligatoridae (sometimes regarded instead as the subfamily Alligatorinae). ... ... Genera Crocodylus Osteolaemus Tomistoma A crocodile can be any of the 14 species of large, water-loving reptiles in the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the subfamily Crocodylinae). ... Genera Alligator Caiman Melanosuchus Paleosuchus Alligators and caimans are reptiles closely related to the crocodiles and forming the family Alligatoridae (sometimes regarded instead as the subfamily Alligatorinae). ... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... Binomial name Tomistoma schlegelii (Müller, 1838) The false gharial or Malayan gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) is a fresh-water reptile, resembling a crocodile with a very thin and elongated snout resembling that of the gharial, hence its name. ...

Common names include: Indian gharial, Indian gavial, Fish-eating crocodile, Gavial del Ganges, Gavial du Gange, Long-nosed crocodile, Bahsoolia, Nakar, Chimpta, Lamthora, Mecho Kumhir, Naka, Nakar, Shormon, Thantia, Thondre, Garial.

Classification

• Order Crocodilia
  • Superfamily Gavialoidea
    • Genus Eothoracosaurus
    • Genus Thoracosaurus
    • Genus Eosuchus
    • Family Gavialidae
      • Genus Eogavialis
      • Genus Argochampsa
      • Genus Rhamphosuchus
      • Genus Gavialis
        • Gavialis curvirostris
        • Gavialis breviceps
        • Gavialis bengawanicus
        • Gavialis lewisi
        • Gavialis gangeticus - modern Gharial
      • Subfamily Gryposuchinae
        • Genus Aktiogavialis
        • Genus Gryposuchus
        • Genus Ikanogavialis
        • Genus Siquisiquesuchus
        • Genus Piscogavialis
        • Genus Hesperogavialis

black: range of Crocodilia Families Gavialidae Alligatoridae Crocodylidae Crocodilia is an order of large reptiles that appeared about 84 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous Period (Campanian stage). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Appearances in Popular Culture

• In the PlayStation2 video game, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, one of the more noted animals that Naked Snake can consume for his survival is the Indian Gavial. It replenishes significant amounts of stamina, while causing Snake to express utmost satisfaction. A crocodile cap is also an obtainable item that can be used to scare away unsuspecting enemy soldiers. The Indian Gavials in the game are generally not too dangerous on land, inflicting only minor damage by striking the game's protagonist with their tails. However, if Naked Snake is attacked by one while in the water, it kills him instantly.
• The Ravnica: City of Guilds expansion of the Magic: The Gathering trading card game features a "Crocodile" creature called Grayscaled Gharial[1].

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (commonly abbreviated MGS3) is a stealth-based game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. ... Magic: The Gathering (colloq. ... Collectible card games (CCGs), also called customizable card games or trading card games, are played using specially designed sets of cards. ...

References

1. ^ Crocodilian species - Gharial
2. ^ ^{a b} Boulenger, G. A. 1890. Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Batrachia.
3. ^ Choudhury, B.C., Singh, L.A.K., Rao, R.J., Basu, D., Sharma, R.K., Hussain, S.A., Andrews, H.V., Whitaker, N., Whitaker, R., Lenin, J., Maskey, T., Cadi, A., Rashid, S.M.A., Choudhury, A.A., Dahal, B., Win Ko Ko, U., Thorbjarnarson, J & Ross, J.P. 2007. Gavialis gangeticus. In: IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>>.
4. ^ “At 200, gharials now on critically-endangered list” by Neelam Raaj , TNN, The Times of India, 13 Sep 2007

• Crocodile Specialist Group (1996). Gavialis gangeticus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Endangered (EN C2a, E v2.3)
• Janke A, Gullberg A, Hughes S, Aggarwal RK, Arnason U. (2005). "Mitogenomic analyses place the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) on the crocodile tree and provide pre-K/T divergence times for most crocodilians." J Mol Evol. 61(5):620-6.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

See also

• Mugger Crocodile
• False Gharial
• List of reptiles of South Asia

Binomial name Crocodylus palustris Lesson, 1831 Distribution of Crocodylus palustris The Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), also called the Iranian, Marsh, or Persian Crocodile (in Persian گاندو Gandu), is found throughout the Indian subcontinent and the surrounding countries (India, Pakistan; in Pakistans coastal regions of the Makran and delta marshlands of... Binomial name Tomistoma schlegelii (Müller, 1838) The false gharial or Malayan gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) is a fresh-water reptile, resembling a crocodile with a very thin and elongated snout resembling that of the gharial, hence its name. ... The following is a list of reptiles of South Asia, primarily covering the region covered by mainland India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, parts of Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Island chains. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Gharial

• http://reptilis.net/crocodylia/gavies/gavialidae.html a less formal article, great photos
• http://www.vic.com/nepal/images/gharial.html photo of a large specimen in the wild
• http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/cnhc/!ggan1.htm teeth and feeding
• http://www.whozoo.org/students/lydia/gharials.htm excellent photos from Fort Worth Zoo
• http://www.oneworldmagazine.org/tales/crocs/gharial.html a charming folk tale
• http://www.scz.org/animals/g/gharial.html species summary from Sedgwick County Zoo
• http://www.itis.usda.gov ITIS Taxonomic Serial No.: 202217
• http://www.rendy.eu/zivocichove-seznam/gavial-indicky Gavialis gangeticus - description with photographs from captivity in Czech republic - ZOO Prag (in Czech)