Endangered Species: Ganges Shark
The Ganges Shark is a critically endangered species endemic to the freshwater habitats of Northern India and Bangladesh. The IUCN Red List estimates that there are less than 240 mature sharks left. Unlike more common shark species like the bull shark which go into rivers to give birth and raise young, these elusive freshwater predators roam the waters of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi and Hooghly rivers their entire lives. According to the World Wildlife Fund, they are specially adapted for their murky, sediment-rich environments, with a stocky body, broad, flat snout, small, close-set eyes and a gray or brown coloration which blends in with the riverbed. While observing these sharks has proven difficult due to their low numbers, certain anatomical features like their tilted eye position and their coloring suggest that they hunt by swimming along the riverbed and attacking from below. Their lean teeth suggests that their diet consists mostly of fish and small mammals.
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| An illustration of the Ganges Shark. Source: Mongabay |
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Carcharhinidae
Genus: Glyphis
Species: gangeticus
Many of the threats faced by Ganges Sharks are driven by human activity. One of the top threats to this species is river development and dam construction. These dams break up shark habitat, forcing them to depend on smaller and smaller lengths of river to find food and mates. While the largest dams built to extract hydropower are the most damaging to the environment, smaller dams used for irrigation can also have negative effects. The continued debates over how the river is used will force us to weigh the importance of economic growth and clean energy against environmental conservation in the coming years.
Another prominent threat to Ganges Shark survival is pollution. The shark's namesake river, the river Ganges, is one of the most polluted rivers in the world. In a Wired article about the clean up mission surrounding the river, writer Oliver Franklin-Wallis details how the river became filled with not only the remnants of sacred Hindu ceremonies, but also billions of liters of pesticides, industrial waste, plastic, and untreated human sewage. The pollution poisons the shark's habitat, but also drives away prey, making it harder and harder for the sharks to find the food they need to survive.
Overfishing has further increased problems for the Ganges Shark. Some of these sharks are killed out of fear of their more aggressive look-alikes, the Bull Shark. Others are accidentally caught as bycatch in fishing nets. Destructive fishing practices that produce more short term profits but are not sustainable for the environment or the industry have resulted in diminishing wildlife populations throughout Ganges Shark habitat. Demand for shark fins and meat, while not as common for freshwater sharks, also contributes to the rapidly decreasing population size.
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| An illustration of the Ganges Shark. Source: Deviant Art |
According to Mongabay, the effects of these issues are compounded because the Ganges Shark is likely to have long gestation periods (sharks gestations can be as long as 3 years, but the details of this species is unknown due to lack of research) and small litter sizes, which make it hard for the species to adapt and bounce back from environmental hardships. Efforts to protect the Ganges Shark include India's 1972 Wildlife Protection Act which makes it illegal to hunt, capture, or trade the species. These sharks are also protected under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Despite these notable steps, enforcement of these laws becomes more and more challenging as the shark population decreases and awareness among locals dwindles. The survival of these sharks depends on bringing awareness to local communities and providing resources to researchers so we can learn about and provide for the Ganges Shark's needs.
You can show your support for the Ganges Shark by donating to the following charities: