Geographic Range
Gavialis gangeticus
is found in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It historically inhabits
four river systems: the Indus (Pakistan), the Ganges (India and Nepal), the Mahanadi
(India) and the Brahmaputra (Bangladesh, India, and Bhutan); it also may have occurred
in the Ayeyarwaddy River in Burma (Myanmar). It has become extinct in many areas where
it formerly occurred.
Habitat
Indian gharials live in clear freshwater rivers with fast flowing currents. They congregate
at river bends and other sections of rivers where the water is deep and the current
is reduced. Because Indian gharials are not well adapted for movement on land, they
usually leave the water only to bask and to nest. They prefer sandbars in the middle
of the rivers for both of these activities. Juveniles may seek out quiet backwaters
or smaller streams.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- freshwater
- Aquatic Biomes
- rivers and streams
- Other Habitat Features
- riparian
Physical Description
Indian gharials are one of the largest
crocodilians
in the world. Males grow to be between 5 and 6 meters long, with the larger ones
approaching 6.5 meters. Females are smaller, but reach more than 4 meters. The snout
is long and slender, specialized for catching fish. The snout shape changes throughout
the lifetime, usually becoming longer and thinner as individuals get older. There
are between 106 and 110 razor sharp teeth in the jaws; 5 pre-maxillary, 23 to 24 maxillary,
and 25 to 26 mandibular teeth. Males have a bulbous growth on the end of their snout
called a "ghara." It functions during courtship as a visual stimulus for females and
it helps to produce bubbles during mating. It also allows gharials to produce a loud
buzzing sound. Indian gharials are equipped with extensively webbed feet for locomotion
in the water. Movement on land is inefficient. The leg muscles are not strong enough
to lift them off the ground, but they can push themselves along while sliding on the
belly. The scales of gharials are smooth, which is different from most
crocodiles
and
alligators
. Adults are dark brown to greenish brown on top with a yellowish white to white underneath.
Young Indian gharials have dark bands on the body and tail that usually fade as they
become adults.
- Other Physical Features
- ectothermic
- heterothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- male larger
- sexes shaped differently
- ornamentation
Development
Fertilization is internal. Females lay shelled eggs in nests dug into sandy riverbanks
and guard the nests during the more than 60 day incubation period. Sex is determined
by egg temperature during the early to middle part of the incubation period.
- Development - Life Cycle
- temperature sex determination
Reproduction
The "gharal" is used in mating. This is a cartilaginous lid on the nostril of males
that flaps when exhaling, producing a loud buzzing noise, which is used during territorial
defense and courtship. Males also hiss, and perform above water jaw slapping. While
underwater, jaw slapping is also performed to attract possible mates. When a female
finds a male, they will rub each other with their snouts and the male will follow
the female around his territory. The female will then show her readiness to mate by
raising her head skyward, at which point the male will climb on top of her. The two
will then submerge for up to 30 minutes during copulation.
- Mating System
- polygynous
Mating season occurs for about two months each year. Mating season varies regionally,
but generally occurs between November and February, during the dry season. Nesting
occurs during the late dry season, from March through May. Females locate a steep
sand bank where they dig a nest. During this time, they might dig a number of holes
before finding the right spot. Holes are about 50 cm deep and from 3 to 5 meters from
the water. Females lay 28 to 60 eggs in the hole, usually at night. Very large females
are capable of laying almost 100 eggs. An average Indian gharial egg is 5.5 centimeters
wide, 8.6 centimeters long, and weighs 100 to 156 grams. An incubation period of 60
to 80 days will follow. Females continue to visit and guard eggs during the night
but remain in the water during the day. During incubation females are very territorial
near the nest, but they tolerate other females nesting on the same beach. Nests in
warmer climates usually hatch earlier. Young are about 18 cm in length. The female
(and perhaps the male) will help excavate the nest during hatching, but they are probably
incapable of picking up the young. Sexual maturity for females is reached at 8 years
old and 3 meters in length. For males, maturity is attained at 15 years of age and
4 meters in length. At this time males grow a ghara on their snout.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- fertilization
- oviparous
Females must provision eggs with yolk prior to oviposition, excavate a nest cavity,
and guard nests. Females may uncover and assist young during the hatching process.
After hatching, females protect hatchlings for several weeks, often until monsoon
rains come, during which high water levels may disperse the young. The male will be
tolerated nearby, but they do not actively protect hatchlings, though young will sometimes
rest on the back of the male.
- Parental Investment
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
protecting
- female
-
protecting
-
pre-independence
-
protecting
- female
-
protecting
Lifespan/Longevity
The only record of longevity in
Gavialis gangeticus
is of a captive individual at the London Zoo, where one was estimated at 29 years
old. Because of their large size, it is thought that they have a long life span. Fisherman
that live near gharials believe that they can live as long as 100 years old, though
this has not been confirmed.
Behavior
Indian gharials spend a lot of time basking in the sun, more so in the winter than
in the summer. They tend to revisit the same basking spot, which is always close to
the water. Indian gharials also "gape" during basking to dissipate excess heat.
Gaping is usually done in 10 to 20 minute intervals with the head at a 20 degree angle.
On very hot days gharials completely submerge their bodies, leaving only their heads
out of the water at a 20 to 30 degree angle. Indian gharials aggreggate in basking
and nesting areas but are generally solitary. Nests are defended by females.
- Key Behaviors
- natatorial
- diurnal
- crepuscular
- motile
- sedentary
- solitary
- territorial
Home Range
Home range sizes in Indian gharials are not reported.
Communication and Perception
Like all
crocodilians
, Indian gharials possess integumentary sense organs. These are tiny pits in the scales
that cover the body. These pits are able to pick up vibrations or changes in water
pressure, which aid in the search for prey. Their eyes have a reflective layer behind
the eye, the tapetum lucidum, which aids in night vision. A clear membrane, the nictitating
membrane, protects the eye while under water. Indian gharials pick up low frequencies
through hearing and are able to close the ear canal when submerged. Indian gharials
apparently communicate via vibrations in the water and buzzing sounds made by males
with the ghara on their snouts.
- Other Communication Modes
- vibrations
- Perception Channels
- visual
- tactile
- acoustic
- vibrations
Food Habits
The diet of juvenile gharials is different from adults. Juveniles eat small animals,
such as insects, crustaceans, or frogs. But as they grow older and their snout becomes
thinner and longer, they eat almost exclusively fish. Their jaws are well adapted
for catching fish. There are three main hunting strategies. The sit and wait approach
is where they float almost completely submerged under water and remain motionless
until their pray passes right by them. The sweeping search involves an integumentary
sensory organ found on the scales to sense vibrations in the water while slowly feeling
through the water for prey. The third hunting strategy is a rapid strike. The thin
jaw creates low water resistance for quick snaps underwater.
- Primary Diet
-
carnivore
- piscivore
- insectivore
- eats non-insect arthropods
- Animal Foods
- amphibians
- reptiles
- fish
- insects
Predation
Humans are the greatest threat to
Gavialis gangeticus
. Indian gharials are poached for their skin, meat, male gharas, and eggs. Gharials
are also threatened indirectly through habitat destruction, as people modify habitats
for agriculture and industry, and by fishing. Indian gharial eggs are eaten by rats
(
Rattus
), golden jackals (
Canis aureus
), wild pigs (
Sus
), mongooses (
Herpestes
), and monitor lizards (
Varanus
). Young Indian gharials are eaten by these predators as well as other, larger aquatic
and terrestrial predators.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Indian gharials are important predators of fish. Unfortunately the numbers of gharials
are now so low that their effects on the ecosystem may not be significant.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Male Indian gharials are sometimes sought after for their ghara, the growth on the
end of their snout, because it is believed by some to carry aphrodisiac properties.
Eggs are collected for their supposed medicinal properties. However, both of these
supposed medicinal properties are not based on research and it is unlikely that the
eggs or the ghara benefit people in any way. Indian gharials may benefit local communities
by acting as a tourist attraction.
- Positive Impacts
- body parts are source of valuable material
- ecotourism
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
This species is probably harmless to human interests. Indian gharials are sometimes
believed to attack and eat humans, but this appears to be an unfounded fear. Indian
gharials are generally not aggressive and have narrow jaws and thin teeth that are
unsuited to attacking humans or large animals.
Conservation Status
The decline from an estimated 436 adult Indian gharials in 1997 to 182 in 2006 represents
a 58% drop across their range. This drastic decline happened in a period of nine years,
well within the span of one generation, qualifying Indian gharials as Critically Endangered
(IUCN). They were the first
crocodilian
to be categorized as critically endangered. The biggest threat to them is habitat
loss and disturbance caused by people clearing riparian areas for firewood or farmland
or mining river banks for sand. Poaching is also a problem. Conservation efforts have
increased in recent years and attempts to ensure population increases are in place.
Action groups such as the Gharial Multi-Task Force are comprised of regional and international
crocodilian specialists that are working to avoid the extinction of this animal in
the wild. Information about the current status of Indian gharials in the wild is still
being collected. Conservation efforts and management strategies cannot be put into
place without good data to back them. Surveys of areas such as Pakistan and Burma
are some of the next steps to be taken.
Other threats to this species include a lack of proper release sites. Eggs are collected
by local people for medicinal purposes and adult males are hunted because it is believed
that the ghara on their snout acts as an aphrodisiac. Fishing also causes a problem
when they are captured by gill nets and are killed in the process. Fishing also greatly
reduces the prey base of these animals.
It is thought by some local people that Indian gharials are man-eaters, which results
in persecution. This fear stems from the fact that human remains are sometimes found
in the bellies of gharials. During a Hindu funeral ritual, cremated remains of a body
are placed in rivers. It is a common practice for many crocodilians to ingest rocks
to be used as gastroliths: hard objects that aid in digestion and alter their buoyancy.
It is thought that some human remains and jewelry is ingested in a similar way. Indian
gharial jaws are specialized for eating fish and they are not considered dangerous
to people.
A recent threat to the species is a widespread mortality due to gout. Since 2007 over
110 gharials have succumbed to gout. This may be caused by the introduction of
Tilapia
into the Yamuna river. It is believed that these fish carry a toxin that effects
gharials, but the composition of the toxin and how it enters the river is still being
researched.
Additional Links
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Kyle Bouchard (author), Michigan State University, James Harding (editor, instructor), Michigan State University.
- oriental
-
found in the oriental region of the world. In other words, India and southeast Asia.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- freshwater
-
mainly lives in water that is not salty.
- riparian
-
Referring to something living or located adjacent to a waterbody (usually, but not always, a river or stream).
- ectothermic
-
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
- heterothermic
-
having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- sexual ornamentation
-
one of the sexes (usually males) has special physical structures used in courting the other sex or fighting the same sex. For example: antlers, elongated tails, special spurs.
- polygynous
-
having more than one female as a mate at one time
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- natatorial
-
specialized for swimming
- diurnal
-
- active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
- crepuscular
-
active at dawn and dusk
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- solitary
-
lives alone
- territorial
-
defends an area within the home range, occupied by a single animals or group of animals of the same species and held through overt defense, display, or advertisement
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- vibrations
-
movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- vibrations
-
movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- ecotourism
-
humans benefit economically by promoting tourism that focuses on the appreciation of natural areas or animals. Ecotourism implies that there are existing programs that profit from the appreciation of natural areas or animals.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- piscivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fish
- insectivore
-
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
References
Atroley, A. 2008. "WWF - Gharial Deaths in National Chambal Sanctuary" (On-line). Accessed December 02, 2008 at http://www.wwfindia.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/freshwater_wetlands/freshwater_species/gharial/index.cfm .
Britton, A. 2006. "Crocodilian Species - Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)" (On-line). Accessed November 17, 2008 at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetology/brittoncrocs/csp_ggan.htm .
Brochu, 2003. "TAXONOMY & NOMENCLATURE" (On-line). Accessed November 18, 2008 at http://spot.colorado.edu/~humphrey/fact%20sheets/gharial/gharial.htm#threats .
Chaudhari, S. 2008. Gharial reproduction and mortality. Iguana , 15(3): 150-153.
Choudhury, B., L. Singh, R. Rao, D. Basu, R. Sharma, S. Hussain, H. Andrews, N. Whitaker, R. Whitaker, J. Lenin, T. Maskey, A. Cadi, S. Rashid, A. Choudhury, B. Dahal, U. Win Ko Ko, J. Thorbjarnarson, J. Ross. 2007. "IUCN 2008 Red List - Gavialis gangeticus" (On-line). Accessed November 17, 2008 at http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/8966 .
Das, I. 2002. A Photographic Guide to the Snakes and Other Reptiles of India . Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books.
Net Industries, 2008. "Gharial: Gavialidae - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Conservation Status - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, GHARIALS AND PEOPLE" (On-line). Accessed November 18, 2008 at http://animals.jrank.org/pages/3629/Gharial-Gavialidae.html .
Ross, J. 1998. "Crocodiles Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan" (On-line). Accessed November 18, 2008 at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/natsci/herpetology/act-plan/ggang.htm .
Ross (Editor), C. 1989. Crocodiles and Alligators . New York: Facts On File, Inc..
Vitt, L., J. Caldwell. 2009. Herpetology (3rd Edition) . Burlington, MA: Academic Press.
Wildscreen, 2008. "Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)" (On-line). Accessed November 18, 2008 at http://www.arkive.org/gharial/gavialis-gangeticus/info.html .
anon., 2008. "Gharial Conservation Alliance" (On-line). Accessed December 15, 2008 at http://www.gharialconservation.org/toxin-suspected-as-cause-of-gharial-deaths/ .