Indian Crocodile: Gharial's back into the wild
Gharials are blessed with adaptability power and have survived thousands of years by balancing with ecological change. Their adaptability trait is leading them to survive in the wild. The secret of their adaptability trait is higher immunity, fewer predator species, ectothermy, highly evolved metabolism. They being the top predators, conveniently move between habitats, plays a crucial role in transferring energy between the system. Crocodiles are necessary for the proper functioning of the system, by stabilizing the ecosystem and providing ecosystem services, also creates habitat linkages. Gharial Status in India There are only three species of Indian Gharial found in India. The Indian species are Gharial, Gavialis gangeticus ( Gemlin 1789); the Mugger, Crocodylus palustris (Lesson 1831); and the Estuarine Crocodile, Crocodylus porosus (Schneider 1801). This species is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List (Choudhury et al. 2007) and is considered the most endangered