Chambal King Gharial

Friends, how are you all doing? I am sure you must have enjoyed the uniqueness of Sunbird and now you can confidently identify this little bird without any help from experts.

So its weekend again and time to know about another dashing creature, today I will talk about one of the critically endangered species which requires utmost attention and action for conservation. Most of us are aware of Crocodile but not aware about Gharial or you can say Gavial. Let’s study more about this wonderful creature in detail and understand the reason for drastically drop in the count. You will be shocked to know that Gharial was once numerous and widespread in the wild, and today it is restricted to only 2% of its historic range hence it is important for us to know more about Gharials, the topic is an eye-opener for all of us because it will highlight what all can happen if we don't pay attention to our wildlife

Gavial’s Kingdome

Before we start on details let me update you on my experience with Gharial, I have been very lucky to sight Gharial on a couple of occasions during Chambal and Corbett visit. The close sighting off course came from Chambal because it is Gharial’s Kingdome; most of the count comes from Chambal and nowhere. The sighting was memorable because it was boat safari in Gharial and Crocodile home, both gave wonderful opportunities to capture, this will always remain in the heart because of boat safari experience. I am sure you are excited to know more hence let go to the next section to learn the characteristics of this wonderful reptile.

The gharial a fish-eating crocodile is a crocodilian in the family Gavialidae and is native to sandy freshwater river banks in the plains of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent

The name Gharial derives because of its snout, have a distinctive boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an earthenware pot known in Hindi as GHARA

The gharial's belly is yellowish-white, its neck long and thick. There are two rows of ridges on the central region of the back

The gharial's snout is very long and narrow, with 27 to 29 upper and 25 or 26 lower teeth on each side. The front teeth are the largest

Female digs hole in the sand and lay 20 to 95 eggs per season. Eggs are much larger and heavier (around 6 ounces each) compared with eggs of other crocodilians

The gharial is a carnivore. Adults hunt and eat fish, while immature gharials mostly consume insects and frogs

The list is as long as its length and hence let us move to the next section to explore unknown facts of Gharials

Fantastic Facts

Gharial has very short, poorly developed legs that are not able to carry the body weight and are not suitable for moving around on land but they can easily push the body forward. Gharial also moves by gliding on the belly, body, and tail hang down when they are floating and their hind feet act as brakes to stop them from sinking completely

Like other members of the crocodilian family, gharials have slit-like pupils that open wide during the darkness of night to allow them to see better. Because their eyes are set so close together and face forward, gharials are able to see in three dimensions, which help them to judge distances more accurately

Gharials also have a special, transparent third eyelid that they are able to cover each eye with to protect them when they fully submerge themselves in the water

Along with this, they have external flaps that close over their ears and nostrils to protect them from the incoming water, and a flap that closes at the back of their mouths to prevent water from entering their lungs

Gharials reach sexual maturity late in life: females at the age of 7 to 10 years, males at the age of 13 to 15 years

Absolutely unique creature from others hence it is utmost important that we conserve this creature at any cost. At the speed which it declined is seriously matter of worry, checkout conservation status to understand the criticality.

Conservation Status

Today, the gharial is listed as an animal that is critically endangered in its natural environment by the IUCN. It is estimated that their population number has declined by up to 98% over the past century, with gharials nearly becoming extinct in the 1970s due to the severity of hunting and habitat loss. Gharials are now a protected species and although hunting has certainly decreased, they are still heavily affected by the loss of their habitats and getting caught up in fishing nets, even in areas that are actually protected by law

Because of efforts made by WWF India (World Wildlife Fund) with its various Special Recovery program, we are able to keep this animal alive