Female gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)

Species: Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)

Status: Critically Endangered (CR)

Interesting fact: The gharial is one of the largest crocodilians and has the narrowest snout!

Named after the bulbous nasal appendage of the male (which resembles an Indian pot called a ‘ghara’), the gharial is a unique species of crocodilian found in India and Nepal. A true piscivore, the extremely narrow snout of the gharial is superbly adapted to whip through the water quickly to snatch fish with its small, razor-sharp teeth. The gharial has relatively weak legs, and when fully grown is unable to raise its body off the ground. This may explain why it is one of the most aquatic of all crocodilians! The ghara on the male may be used as a visual sex indicator, a sound resonator or a bubbling devise used during courtship, although its exact function remains unknown.

The gharial came close to extinction in the 1970s, prompting a long-term captive breeding and re-introduction program. The gharial is still suffering huge declines as damming, irrigation and mining by an ever-growing human population cause habitat loss and degradation. The gharial survives in just 2% of its previous range, and as few as 200 breeding adults remain in the wild. Current conservation programmes aim to protect the gharial habitat and remaining populations.

For more information on the gharial and its conservation, visit the Gharial Conservation Alliance website.

 View images and videos of the gharial on ARKive.

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Researchers in Madagascar have discovered the world’s smallest species of reptile, a tiny chameleon, Brookesia micra, that reaches just 29 millimetres in length.

Juvenile Brookesia micra on finger

Miniature chameleons

While people may be familiar with the appearance of a chameleon, with its slightly comical jerking gait and rotating eyes, to see these features in such miniature proportions is extraordinary. A research team of German scientists discovered Brookesia micra, along with three other new species while conducting field work at night in the forests of Madagascar.

“They mostly live in the leaf litter in the day… But at night they climb up and then you can spot them,” said Dr Glaw.

The tiny reptiles were spotted using torches and headlamps shone into likely roosting places.

Another new species, Brookesia tristis, on a leaf

Brookesia confidens on hand

Brookesia micra, the smallest of the newly discovered species, was discovered on a remote limestone islet where its small size is believed to have evolved as an adaptation to its restricted habitat. Genetic testing has not only proven that these tiny chameleons are indeed four separate species, but that they separated from each other millions of years ago. 

Brookesia desperata

Female Brookesia desperata with eggs

Conservation concern

As the newly discovered chameleons inhabit such small ranges, they are extremely vulnerable to habitat disturbance. The names given to the new species reflect their precarious position, with Brookesia desperata, named for the desperate loss of habitat currently facing the species, and Brookesia tristis named after the French for ‘sad’, due to the proximity of its forest habitat to a rapidly expanding city.

Read about the discovery on BBC Nature.

View all Brookesia species on ARKive.

Becky Moran, ARKive Species Text Author

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This week is Climate Week in the UK, and here at ARKive we thought we’d take the opportunity to highlight some amazing species and the different ways they may be affected by climate change. 

Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)

Species: Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)

Status: Endangered (EN)

Interesting Fact: The sex of baby loggerheads is determined by temperature.

The loggerhead is one of the most widespread of all the marine turtles and also the most highly migratory, with individuals known to cross the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This turtle’s common name comes from its relatively large head, which contains powerful jaws. Adults are primarily carnivorous, using their powerful jaws to crack open crustaceans such as crabs and even seemingly impenetrable molluscs such as the queen conch and species of giant clam. Loggerheads may reach sexual maturity at around 35 years old, and females appear to nest an average of three to five times in one breeding season, returning to breed every couple of years. Nesting occurs at night throughout the summer, when females drag themselves out onto beaches beyond the high-tide mark and dig nests into which around 100 eggs are laid.

Climate Change: The gender of hatchling loggerhead turtles is determined by temperature, so an increase in global temperature could lead to a skew in the sex ratio of turtles. Rising sea levels caused by climate change are another potential threat, resulting in the loss of turtle nests through flooding.

For more information on climate change, visit ARKive’s climate change pages.

Take part in ARKive’s Creative Climate Change Challenge or find out how you can get involved in Climate Week.

View images and footage of the loggerhead turtle on ARKive.

Becky Moran, ARKive Species Text Author

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Adelaide pygmy bluetongue skink (Tiliqua adelaidensis)

Species: Adelaide pygmy bluetongue skink (Tiliqua adelaidensis)

Status: Endangered (EN)

Interesting Fact: The Adelaide pygmy bluetongue skink shelters in burrows created by spiders!

Surprisingly, the tongue of this skink is not blue as the name suggests, but is instead a rose pink colour. The mottled mixture of browns on the rest of its body enables this species to blend in perfectly with its surroundings in its native Australian habitat. During the heat of the day, the Adelaide pygmy bluetongue skink shelters in holes that, rather than being excavated by the skink itself, are quarried by wolf spiders and trapdoor spiders. From here, the skink can hide from predators as well as ambush passing prey. The diet of this skink consists mainly of a wide range of invertebrates, such as spiders, grasshoppers, cockroaches and ants, but it will also feed on plants. The female Adelaide pygmy bluetongue skink does not lay eggs, but gives birth to live young.

The Adelaide pygmy bluetongue skink is one of the rarest of Australia’s reptiles, and was presumed to be extinct for 33 years. Extensive habitat destruction is thought to be to blame for its decline, and a recovery plan has been introduced with the overall objective of achieveing down-listing of the species from Endangered to Vulnerable within 10 years.

Learn more about the conservation of the Adelaide pygmy bluetongue skink from the Australian Government.

View images of the Adelaide pygmy bluetongue skink on ARKive.

Becky Moran, ARKive Species Text Author

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With George Bradford previously showing his admiration for the small and mighty side of the animal kingdom, will this week’s ARKive staff member favour fluffiness over ferocity?

Lauren Pascoe – ARKive Media Researcher

Favourite species? Leatherback turtle

Why? The leatherback turtle is one of the ocean giants. Perhaps not the prettiest of species, the leatherback turtle’s elegance comes to form in the water. It can perform swimming feats that I’m in awe of – diving up to 1,000 metres (which, by the way, no other reptile could do – the leatherback can maintain an elevated body temperature at cold depths) and travelling thousands of kilometres across the oceans.

Favourite leatherback turtle image on ARKive?

Male leatherback turtle in open ocean

The leatherback turtle is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Its threats include climate change changing the sex of the embryo throughout the incubation period and rising sea levels decreasing the amount of suitable nesting areas. Ocean currents changing is also a major threat to migrating juveniles of this species as well as habitat loss, boat traffic accidents and ingestion of discarded plastic.

See more pictures and videos of the leatherback turtle.

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