FORT WORTH, Texas — The Fort Worth Zoo Wednesday announced the first-ever repeated breeding success of critically endangered gharial crocodiles with two new hatchlings this summer.
The hatchlings this summer follow the birth of four gharial crocodiles during the summer of 2023. The Fort Worth Zoo is the only institution in North America to have successfully repeated the gharial breeding process, zoo officials say.
The 2023 hatchlings will be on view from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the zoo’s Museum of Living Art. The new hatchlings, which were born June 16 and 22 will remain behind the scenes at the zoo for now to allow for close monitoring of their growth and development.
“Everyone here at the Fort Worth Zoo is ecstatic to have repeated success with our gharial hatchings for the second year in a row,” said Vicky Poole, associate curator of ectotherms. “Having two additional hatchlings is a big win for growing the gharial population in zoos and expanding knowledge to help this critically endangered species survive.”
The back-to-back sets of gharial hatchlings are the product of more than 10 years of work at the zoo. The two new hatchlings came from eggs laid by two different females within the Zoo’s gharial population, zoo officials said in a news release.
The zoo’s gharial habitat, located in the Museum of Living Art, was specifically designed in 2010 to promote conservation and breeding success.
Gharials are one of the largest crocodilian species. Male gharials can grow up to 16 feet and weigh nearly 1,500 pounds, and female gharials stay slightly smaller.
Gharials are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with factors including habitat destruction, pollution and river fragmentation, cited as challenges the species face to survive in their natural habitat.
For more information, visit the Fort Worth Zoo’s website.
