The Gharial

http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/TECH/science/01/22/rarereptile.deaths.ap/art.gharial.afp.gi.jpg


Conservationists and scientists scrambled Tuesday to determine what has killed at least 50 critically endangered crocodile-like reptiles in recent weeks in a river sanctuary in central India.

Everything from parasites to pollution has been blamed for the deaths of the gharials -- massive reptiles that look like their crocodile relatives, but with long slender snouts.

The precise number of gharials that have died remains unclear, with the Gharial Conservation Alliance saying 81 bodies have been found since early December, butt Chief Wildlife Warden D.N.S Suman putting the number of dead animals at 50.

The latest possible clue to what's killing the rare reptiles is an unknown parasite that scientists found in the dead gharials' liver and kidneys, according to Dr. A.K. Sharma of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute.

"We can say that liver and kidney of these gharials were badly damaged," said Sharma. "They were swollen and bigger than their usual size."

Other believe the gharials may have gotten sick and died after eating contaminated fish from the polluted Yamuna river, which joins the Chambal in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Pathological tests confirmed lead and cadmium in the bodies of the dead gharials, said Suman, the wildlife official.

The gharial, also known as the Indian crocodile, was on the verge of extinction in the 1970s, but a government breeding program that has released several hundred into the wild has raised their numbers.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/01/22/rarereptile.deaths.ap/index.html

....Everything from parasites to pollution has been blamed for the deaths of the gharials -- massive reptiles that look like their crocodile relatives, but with long slender snouts....

and just how big is massive? Do they eat people like crocs do?

Upto 6 meters in length. I would not want to take a chance. :eek:

and just how big is massive? Do they eat people like crocs do?

Look at their mouths. They eat fish, not people.

It's very sad to hear this. I suspect pollution has something to do with it.
The world is going to crap.. :(

??? How can I tell they eat fish and not people? Gators and crocs eat people.

They are quite safe.
It seems they are quite intelligent and avoid people.
Physically they are designed to eat fish, not mammals.

How are they designed to eat fish and not mammals? If a baby monkey fell in the water, they wouldn't eat it?

??? How can I tell they eat fish and not people? Gators and crocs eat people.

Gators and crocs can eat people if they want and occasionally do so. People are not their main diet.

You can know by looking at their mouth that they eat fish, provided you have some understanding of biology that is :p
Don't take it from me though:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gharial#Diet

How are they designed to eat fish and not mammals? If a baby monkey fell in the water, they wouldn't eat it?

Might be a little bit hard to hold on to something bigger methinks.

(not that I'm taking chances)

http://laelaps.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/gharial.jpg

They are quite safe.
It seems they are quite intelligent and avoid people.
Physically they are designed to eat fish, not mammals.
Yes, but they key word here is 'evolved' not 'designed' ;)

How are they designed to eat fish and not mammals? If a baby monkey fell in the water, they wouldn't eat it?
Google is a great tool to find out things you don't know ;)

Orleander,

do elephants eat people ? They sure are big...

oooooo, see now in those pics you can see how narrow their snout is. I just figured from looking at SAMs side shot photo that it was broader, more like a gator or croc snout.

And I never thought people were any of their main diet. But they still can eat them. I bet those things have grabbed a kid or two.

oooooo, see now in those pics you can see how narrow their snout is. I just figured from looking at SAMs side shot photo that it was broader, more like a gator or croc snout.

And I never thought people were any of their main diet. But they still can eat them. I bet those things have grabbed a kid or two.

Gharials eat mostly fish but false gharials have been known to eat monkeys as big as macaques.

False gharial:

http://www.stlzoo.org/images/gharial01_sm.jpg

Fish might be their favorite food, but false gharials like to broaden their menu from time to time. They snack on crustaceans like crabs -- not surprising, since the false gharial's long snout helps them probe in the critters' underground burrows.

False gharials also eat various mammals, some as large as macaque monkeys. These unsuspecting victims come to the water's edge and don't notice the false gharials floating there, nearly submerged and almost invisible.

Once false gharials grab a victim, their mouth closes with tremendous force, puncturing and holding the prey with their teeth. Like all crocodilians, they usually swallow their prey whole or in large chunks.

http://www.stlzoo.org/animals/abouttheanimals/reptiles/alligatorsandcrocodiles/falsegharial.htm

I bet those things have grabbed a kid or two.

They are harmless..

Orleander,

do elephants eat people ? They sure are big...

:mad: <sigh> I wasn't going by the size of the animal. I couldn't tell the size of its mouth from the first photo. But I guess you had seen them before and knew what they were like.
Thanks for pointing out my gross stupidity.

Gharials eat mostly fish but false gharials have been known to eat monkeys as big as macaques.

And even then, these Macaque's are about half a meter high (males, females are smaller) and about 7,5 kg (again males, females weigh about 5 kg) in weight. I'm pretty sure even these false gharials will not ever attack a human.

:mad: <sigh> I wasn't going by the size of the animal. I couldn't tell the size of its mouth from the first photo. But I guess you had seen them before and knew what they were like.
Thanks for pointing out my gross stupidity.

Well, I'm sorry but you did say this:
and just how big is massive? Do they eat people like crocs do?
It kinda hard not to think you connected the two..

Meet Megalania prisca (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/13/wdragon113.xml)

Meet Megalania prisca (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/13/wdragon113.xml)

Nice ! :D
Did they eat people ? lol

It's very sad to hear this. I suspect pollution has something to do with it.

The world is going to crap.. :(


The world has already gone to crap. There's no way to turn it around any longer. :eek:

The world has already gone to crap. There's no way to turn it around any longer. :eek:

That's my fear as well :(

Anyone with any real power only wants more and more MONEY and POWER! They don't care how they get it even if they pollute the Earth until it isn't recognizable any longer. It is only a matter of time before something destroys the environment completly and humans, the viruses they are, are all dead.

Did they eat people ?

Undoubtedly they did.

I can't resist saying it..... "cook'm?"

Anyone with any real power only wants more and more MONEY and POWER! They don't care how they get it even if they pollute the Earth until it isn't recognizable any longer. It is only a matter of time before something destroys the environment completly and humans, the viruses they are, are all dead.

As long as only the humans die.. it could be a good thing.

[CENTER]The Gharial


Conservationists and scientists scrambled Tuesday to determine what has killed at least 50 critically endangered crocodile-like reptiles in recent weeks in a river sanctuary in central India.


That's a shame, I saw the Gharial on the TV series "Nick Baker's Weird Creatures" and it's a shame so many have died, because they are endangered species and so much effort is made to conserve them.

I can't resist saying it..... "cook'm?"

You mean cook an owl ? Yummy !! :)
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a238/stephaniefongmeiyu/PC250008.jpg

..and it's a shame so many have died, because they are endangered species..

So it would matter as much if 50 humans died ? Humans are not endangered, so..

Anyone with any real power only wants more and more MONEY and POWER! They don't care how they get it even if they pollute the Earth until it isn't recognizable any longer. It is only a matter of time before something destroys the environment completly and humans, the viruses they are, are all dead.The rivers of India have been polluted since long before the country began industrializing, long before the call centers of Bangalore and Mr. Tata's autos began to apply the description "rich and powerful" to more than a handful of Indians.So it would matter as much if 50 humans died ? Humans are not endangered, so..Of course it would matter. But this is a gathering place for scientists and their friends so naturally we're likely to apply filters to discussions to emphasize specific issues. In this case it is indeed endangered species. As scientists we can't help but be alarmed by the loss of such a huge portion of the population of a rare species. It doesn't diminish our care for the humans who die every day, it's just a topic for another thread.

Of course it would matter. But this is a gathering place for scientists and their friends so naturally we're likely to apply filters to discussions to emphasize specific issues. In this case it is indeed endangered species. As scientists we can't help but be alarmed by the loss of such a huge portion of the population of a rare species. It doesn't diminish our care for the humans who die every day, it's just a topic for another thread.

It was sarcasm.
Isn't it always a shame when a lot of animals die, and not just when they are endangered ?
Should we wait until they are endangered before we start to care ?
There are proverbs for this: "When the steed is stolen the stable-door is locked"

Maybe its a virus that's killing them. It happens to people, why not them?

These are exquisite creatures of beauty. It would be a sad loss indeed if they go extinct. I prefer the optimistic thought that they won't.

Their snouts are designs for catching fish, especaily fish that swim in swarms. They are generally non-aggresive to humans, but like most animals, they will fight back to defend themselves if tampered with or threatened. I've even seen a mouse fight back against a cat (amazing).

Such wonderful creatures are a treasure of this earth. What would we tell our children if we lost to many species? How difficult would that be. If we (humans) give them attention and care (monitoring their condition and envirement), they should survive.

These are exquisite creatures of beauty. It would be a sad loss indeed if they go extinct. I prefer the optimistic thought that they won't.

Their snouts are designs for catching fish, especaily fish that swim in swarms. They are generally non-aggresive to humans, but like most animals, they will fight back to defend themselves if tampered with or threatened. I've even seen a mouse fight back against a cat (amazing).

Such wonderful creatures are a treasure of this earth. What would we tell our children if we lost to many species? How difficult would that be. If we (humans) give them attention and care (monitoring their condition and envirement), they should survive.

All creatures on this earth are a treasure.
And if we would loose too much species humankind would be doomed.. and I'm not as positive as you are..

Enmos is that a real owl? :O I am real nuts about owls and like'm, they make soothing sounds and are independant.

Enmos is that a real owl? :O I am real nuts about owls and like'm, they make soothing sounds and are independant.

Nah.. was just kidding.. :p

Its a boiled chicken
<barf>

Thanks for pointing out my gross stupidity.

You're not stupid; if that thing was hungry and it grabbed you rest assured that at least parts of you would become its meal. Fish eat fish too but that does not mean that no fish can eat human flesh.

You're not stupid; if that thing was hungry and it grabbed you rest assured that at least parts of you would become its meal. Fish eat fish too but that does not mean that no fish can eat human flesh.

It is harmless...
Of course it will defend itself though..

/sigh

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7720/modhatro1.jpg

Moderator Note:

Elephant eating woman posts moved to:
http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=76734

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7720/modhatro1.jpg

Moderator Note:

Elephant eating woman posts moved to:
http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=76734

Thanks SAM, an excellent solution to thread derailments that are interesting in their own right. Start them up as a new thread with the original poster as OP. It is something to be used occasionaly, as it would otherwise result in threads being split all over the place.

I bet you think I am being sarcastic now, all the stick you take.
But no, I mean it.:)

Later note. It's been shut down now.

Have they said why these all died yet?

Thanks for the reminder :)

They captured some live ones recently:

In a first of its kind conservation effort, the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department in association with NGOs – Wildlife S.O.S, Gharial Conservation Alliance, WWF and a team of international crocodile veterinary experts has successfully captured live Indian Gharials for their urine, blood and joint fluid samples in order to investigate the causes behind the rapid and mysterious deaths of over 90 Critically Endangered Indian Gharials on the Chambal River.

http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/environmental-services/200802047128.htm

So far, all they have been able to determine is kidney failure

Etawah, Feb 11: A probe into the deaths of over 90 gharials in the National Chambal Sanctuary has revealed that the reptiles died of kidney failure.

But experts have still not been able to determine the cause of kidney failure.

"We know that all the gharials died of kidney failure. Kidney failure means that the waste of the body cannot be excreted into the urine and they accumulate in the body and poison the boy," one of the experts, probing the deaths, said.

http://www.saharasamay.com/samayhtml/articles.aspx?newsid=94581