Critically Endangered Reptiles of India
1. The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), also known as the gavial, and the fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian of the family Gavialidae, native to the Indian Subcontinent. The global gharial population is estimated at less than 235 individuals, which are threatened by loss of riverine habitat, depletion of fish resources and use of fishing nets. As the population has declined drastically in the past 70 years, the gharial is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.
The gharial is one of the longest of all living crocodilians, measuring up to 6.25 m (20.5 ft). With 110 sharp interdigitated teeth in its long thin snout it is well adapted to catching fish, its main diet.The male has a distinctive boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an earthenware pot known as ghara.
Gharials once inhabited all the major river systems of the Indian Subcontinent, from the Irrawaddy River in the east to the Indus River in the west. Their distribution is now limited to only 2% of their former range. They inhabit foremost flowing rivers with high sand banks that they use for basking and building nests. They usually mate in the cold season. The young hatch before the onset of the monsoon.[3]
The gharial is one of three crocodilians native to India, the other two being the mugger crocodile and the saltwater crocodile.
##Habitat: Clean rivers with sand bank
##Threats: The combined effects of dams, barrages, artificial embankments, change in river course,
pollution, sand-mining, riparian agriculture and ingress of domestic and feral livestock caused
irreversible loss of riverine habitat and consequently of the gharial.
2. The Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a heavily exploited species. The species is migratory in nature and nesting occurs in about 70 countries across the world. Maturation is slow and is estimated between 25 – 40 years.
##Habitat: Nesting occurs on insular, sandy beaches.
##Distribution: In India they are found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the coast of Tamil Nadu and Orissa.
##Threats: Turtle shell trade, egg collection, slaughter for meat, oil pollution and destruction of
nesting and foraging habitats.
3. The Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest of the living sea turtles, weighing as much as 900 kg.
##Distribution: Found in tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
4. Four-toed River Terrapin or River Terrapin (Batagur baska) is a critically endangered turtle. The omnivorous diet of the river terrapin and other terrapin species makes them an essential part of the efficient clean-up systems of aquatic habitats.
##Habitat: Freshwater rivers and lakes.
##Distribution: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia.
##Threats: Use of flesh for medicinal purposes, demand for eggs, which are considered a delicacy.
5. Red-crowned Roofed Turtle or the Bengal Roof Turtle (Batagur kachuga) is a critically endangered turtle mainly restricted to the Ganga basin. Males have a bright red coloration during the breeding season.
6. Sispara day gecko (Cnemaspis sisparensis) is a large gecko which dwells usually in forests, it is largely insectivorous and is active by night.
##Distribution: Endemic to Western Ghats, and found in Sispara, Nilgiris, Kavalai near Cochin.
##Threats: Habitat conversion and modification.
SUMMARY
Thus, the critically endangered reptiles of India are:
1. Gharial
2. Hawksbill turtle
3. Leatherback turtle
4. Four-toed river terrapin
5. Red crowned roofed turtle
6. Sispara day gecko
Critically endangered fishes of India
1. The Pondicherry Shark(Carcharhinus hemiodon) is a marine fish that occurs or occurred inshore
on continental and insular shelves.
Threats: Large, expanding, and unregulated commercial fisheries in inshore localities and habitats.
2. The Ganges Shark (Glyphis gangeticus) is a uniquely adapted fish-eating shark that occurs in the
turbid waters of the Ganga river and the Bay of Bengal. The small eyes suggest that it is adapted to living
in turbid water, while the slender teeth of the species suggests that it is primarily a fish-eater. It grows to a
maximum length of 2.04 m.
Distribution: It occurs in India and possibly in Pakistan. The Ganga river system and Hooghly river
mouth are its known habitats.
Threats: Major fisheries targeting sharks. Other probable threats include overfishing, pollution,
increasing river use and construction of dams and barrages. A few jaws of the species were found to
have been traded in the international market during recent years, which testifies that the species
is not extinct.
3. The Knife-tooth Sawfish(Anoxypristis cuspidata) has a long narrow snout with blade-like teeth
and a shark-like body. It spends most of its time near the bottom of the sea and can withstand a range of salinity conditions. It is found in shallow coastal waters and estuaries.
## Threats: The principal threat to all sawfish are fisheries (targeted, bycatch, commercial and
subsistence). Their long tooth-studded saw, makes them extraordinarily vulnerable to entanglement
in any sort of net gear, including primitive fishing contraptions. When sawfish are caught in by
catch, they often end up being traded because of the very high value of their products (meat is high
quality and fins and saws extremely valuable in international trade).
4. Large-tooth Sawfish
5. Long-comb Sawfish or Narrow-snout Sawfish
Critically endangered spiders!!
1. The Rameshwaram Ornamental or Rameshwaram Parachute Spider (Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica) was recently described in 2004, and is only found in India. It can give a nasty bite which usually is not fatal. The species is semi-social, which means they live partly in groups.
Distribution: Endemic to India.
Threats: Major threats causing the disappearance of this species is habitat alteration and degradation.
2. The Gooty Tarantula, Metallic Tarantula or Peacock Tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica) is steel blue in colour with patches of intense orange-yellow, black and white. It was first found Gooty(Ooty/Udagamandalam) in south India in a burn pile during railway
construction. Ever since the first picture of this spider was circulated globally, it has been in great demand in the illegal pet trade. A combination of small litter sizes and increased human pressures have made this species critically endangered.
##Habitat: Wooded mountain area of south India.
##Distribution: Endemic to India
##Threats: They are one of the most expensive spiders in the illegal pet trade. Large areas where the
species occurs have been deforested, or subjected to habitat degradation due to local fuel wood
collection, leading to decline in its population.
Critically Endangered Corals:
1. Fire corals (Millepora boschmai) are more closely related to jellyfish than corals. On contact, one usually feels a burning sensation similar to a sting from a jellyfish.
## Threats: Collected for decoration and jewellery trade. This group is also sensitive to temperature rise, and is thought to have completely disappeared from the majority of marine areas possibly because of growing global warming related bleaching effects.
SOURCE: MOEF, GOI
Wikipedia
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