A. mississippiensis
A. sinensis
C. crocodilus
C. c. apaporiensis
C. c. fuscus
C. latirostris
C. yacare
M. niger
P. palpebrosus
P. trigonatus

FAMILY:
CROCODYLIDAE

C. acutus
C. cataphractus
C. intermedius
C. johnstoni
C. mindorensis
C. moreletii
C. niloticus
C. novaeguineae
C. palustris
C. porosus
C. rhombifer
C. siamensis
O. tetraspis
T. schlegelii

FAMILY:
GAVIALIDAE

G. gangeticus

DICHOTOMOUS KEY
[German]

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NAME ETYMOLOGY:
> Gavialis is a corrupted derivation from the Hindi word ghariyal which is a name for "crocodile".
> gangeticus means "of the Ganges (River)", where -icus means "belonging to" (Latin)
> "Gavial" is a mis-spelling of the word "Gharial" (derived from the Hindi ghariyal) that refers to the ghara (Hindi for "pot") - a swelling around the nostrils of mature males

DISTRIBUTION:
[CLICK ON MAP FOR DETAILED RANGE]
Northern India subcontinent: Bangladesh (close to being extirpated), Bhutan (possibly extirpated), India, Myanmar (possibly extirpated), Nepal, Pakistan (close to being extirpated). They are found within the river systems of the Brahmaputra (Bhutan & India), the Indus (Pakistan), the Ganges (India & Nepal), and the Mahanadi (India), with small populations in the Kaladan and the Irrawaddy in Burma.

HABITAT:
Riverine - more adapted to an aquatic lifestyle in the calmer areas of deep, fast-moving rivers. The gharial is poorly equipped for locomotion on land. It usually only leaves the water to bask and nest, both of which usually occur on sandbanks.

STATUS:
     CITES: Appendix I
     IUCN Red List: 2007 update: uplisted to CR CRITICALLY ENDANGERED, formerly EN C2a, E (ENDANGERED)
     Estimated wild population:200 or less (based on 2005/06 information)
Summary: Extremely fragmented distribution, and deteriorating status in recent years, now being considered for uplisting to Critically Endangered again

APPEARANCE:
[click on image for enlargement]
Characteristic elongate, narrow snout, similar only to the false gharial, (Tomistoma schlegelii). Variation in snout shape occurs with age (generally becomes proportionally longer and thinner with increasing age). 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. It has several functions attributed to it: a vocal resonator with which the gharial can produce a loud buzzing noise during social behaviour, a visual stimulus for females during courtship, and an aid to producing bubbles also during courtship. The elongated jaws are lined with many interlocking, razor-sharp teeth - an adaptation to the diet (almost exclusively fish in adults). The gharial is one of the largest of all crocodilian species according to several reports, approaching C. porosus in maximum size - males reach at least 5 metres in length, and often approach 6 metres. Reports of 7 metre animals exist, but are unconfirmed. The gharial is poorly equipped for locomotion on land as an adult - the leg musculature is not suited to raise the body off the ground (to produce 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. It is, however, very agile in the water - the tail is well-developed and laterally flattened, and the rear feet possess extensive webbing.

DENTITION:
5 pre-maxillary; 23-24 maxillary; 25-26 mandibular
Total no. of teeth = 106-110

IMAGES:
[click on image for enlargement]

Side view of adult gharial head

Side view of adult gharial head

DIET:
The diet changes between juvenile and adult - the juveniles are well suited to deal with a variety of invertebrate prey such as insects, plus smaller vertebrates such as frogs. Adults, however, are almost exclusively fish-eaters, for which their jaws and teeth are perfectly adapted - the thin shape gives the snout low resistance in water, which is suited to fast lateral snatching movements underwater; teeth are ideally suited for holding struggling prey such as slippery fish. There have been accounts of larger gharials being more opportunistic and taking larger prey, including mammals, but this seems extremely rare if it happens at all.

BREEDING:
Females reach sexual maturity around 3 m in length (usually over 10 years old). Males guard a harem of several females. The mating period occurs for two months during November, December and into January. Nesting occurs in March, April and May (the dry season) where hole nests are dug into sand banks. Between 30 and 50 eggs (average of 37) are deposited into the hole before it is covered over carefully. The size of the eggs in gharials is the largest for any crocodilian species, weighing on average 160 grams. After 83 to 94 days, the juveniles emerge, although the female has not been observed assisting the hatchlings to the water as in many other crocodilian species. This is perhaps because of the unsuitability of their jaws for carrying hatchlings, and also because of their needle-sharp teeth. However, protection of the young does occur around the nesting area for some time after hatching.

CONSERVATION:
The gharial is in serious trouble. Despite early, successful conservation efforts, G. gangeticus has run out of luck and its wild populations are in decline. So serious is this decline that G. gangeticus is now the first crocodilian species to be re-categorised as CRITICALLY ENDANGERED on the 2007 IUCN RED LIST.

The Gharial Multi-Task Force (GMTF) is an action group of regional and international crocodilian specialists trying to avert this species' extinction in the wild, and it is spearheading a conservation effort to ensure that G. gangeticus does not disappear in the wild.

A detailed update of gharial conservation efforts, including the current status of the gharial in the wild, is being written (June 2007). Until it is complete, please note that the information below is historical information only and does not reflect the current situation.

In the first half of the 20th Century the gharial was common throughout its range, with an inferred population in the 1940s of between 5,000 and 10,000. By 1970, however, it was apparent that the gharial was in serious decline and this prompted scientific surveys to determine the extent of the problem. These were initially carried out by S. Biswas of the Zoological Society of India, and then extended into an India-wide survey conducted by Rom Whitaker, inferred In the early 1900s the gharial was common throughout its range The gharial is considered to be one of the most critically threatened of all crocodilians, becoming alarmingly close to extinction in the 1970s. Fortunately, there has been some recovery through conservation programs, and a reasonable amount of hope lies with the conservation and management programs which are now in place. 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). Over 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 major threat at present is habitat loss due to human encroachment, and disruption of populations through fishing and hunting activities. A lack of suitable release sites has also started to become a problem for the management of the gharial. Eggs are collected for medicinal purposes, and males are still hunted for the aphrodisiac properties associated with the snout. They may also be snared in fishing (gill) nets and killed by fishermen. The decline in gharial populations have been linked to a decline in fish catches, as predatory fish (of no interest to the fishermen) form a major part of the crocodiles' diet.

Plans for the future include surveys of areas such as Pakistan and Burma where the status of the gharial in the wild is unknown - although it is suspected to be very poor. Management and conservation programs cannot proceed without good data to back them up, and so these are a priority. Existing management programs also need to be refined, especially where distributions in river systems are shared by more than one country.

Although poorly-equipped to devour a human, such ability has nevertheless been endowed upon the gharial and indeed most crocodilians. Human remains and jewellery have been found in their stomachs and were thought to validate this fear, but these are most likely to have been scavenged from the dead - the Hindi funeral ritual ends with the remains of the cremated body being sent down the river. Jewellery is possibly ingested in the same way that stones would be in order to be used as gastroliths - hard objects which aid in digestion and to add weight to alter buoyancy.

MORE INFORMATION:
For more information on distribution and conservation issues for this species,see the CSG Action Plan resource.

SIGNIFICANT REFERENCES: