Gharials:
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Gharials are one of the longest of all living crocodilians.
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Features:
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Gharial is a fish-eating crocodile.
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When compared to alligators and crocodiles, a gharial has a very long and narrow snout (instead of a broad snout).
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Male gharial has a distinctive boss at end of snout, which resembles an earthenware pot.
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Indicator Species: They are also a crucial indicator of clean river water.
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Distribution:
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Gharials were once abundant in the main rivers and tributaries of the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Mahanadi-Brahmani river systems.
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But they are now limited to only 14 widely spaced and restricted localities of India and Nepal.
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In India, Gharials are present in Son River, Girwa River, the Ganges, Mahanadi River, and the Chambal River.
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The Satkosia gorge in the Mahanadi is the southernmost limit of gharials.
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Protected areas: National Chambal Sanctuary and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.
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IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
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Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
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CITES: Appendix I
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Threat: Construction of Dam, barrages, and water abstraction, entanglement in fishing nets, River bed cultivation, and sand mining.
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Initiatives: Indian government launched Project Crocodile with UNDP and FAO in 1975. It included an intensive captive rearing and breeding programme intended to revive the dwindling gharial population.
Crocodiles in India: India has three species of Crocodiles, namely:
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Gharials (Gharials are genetically weaker than salt water crocodiles and muggers)
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Mugger crocodile IUCN Status: Vulnerable
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Saltwater crocodile IUCN Status: Least Concern.