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A Gharial Miracle: Fort Worth Zoo Makes History With Endangered Crocodile Births

September 1, 2023

In a significant conservation achievement, the Fort Worth Zoo has proudly announced the birth of a rare and endangered species, the gharial crocodile.

Credit: Fort Worth Zoo | Facebook

The gharial, also known as fish-eating crocodile, is among the longest of all living crocodilians. It is well adapted to catching fish because of its long, narrow snout and 110 sharp, interlocking teeth.

The wild gharial population has declined drastically since the 1930s and has been listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2007.

The Fort Worth Zoo is the only institution in the US to have produced multiple offspring.

"The Zoo is thrilled to announce this monumental conservation success - the hatchings of four critically endangered gharial crocodiles," the zoo said in a release.

In the wild, it is estimated that only about 200 reproducing adults remain.

Of the 35 gharial crocodiles living in U.S. zoos, four are in the care of the Fort Worth Zoo including one male and three females. The new hatchlings were produced from two different females.

"The Fort Worth Zoo is the only institution in the United States to have produced multiple offspring of this critically endangered species," the zoo said in a statement. "The Zoo is incredibly proud to announce this groundbreaking conservation success, quadrupling the number of births to ever take place in the U.S."