A Texas zoo has made history with the first back-to back gharial crocodile hatchlings born in North America.
One gharial newborn arrived on June 16—and the second was found a week later—at the Fort Worth Zoo.
Gharials are listed as ‘critically endangered’ animals, with only around 650 adults left in the wild—so every conservation effort matters.
Fort Worth has been the only zoo in North America to produce multiple gharial crocodiles in one season—and is now delighted to be the first to do it in back-to-back years.
They were hatched from eggs laid by two different females within the zoo’s gharial group.
“Everyone here at the Fort Worth Zoo is ecstatic to have repeated success with our gharial hatchings for the second year in a row,” announced Vicky Poole, associate curator of ectotherms, on July 24.
“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.”
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The gharials are now more than one month old and are just over 12 inches long.
Male gharials, which are found mostly in India, can grow to 16 feet and weigh nearly 1,500 pounds, while female gharials stay slightly smaller.
For now, the hatchlings will remain behind the scenes at the Zoo for close monitoring of their growth and development.
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