🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Many reptiles, including crocodilians, rely entirely on nest temperature to determine offspring sex.
Like other crocodilians, gharials exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination. The temperature of the sand during incubation influences whether hatchlings develop as male or female. Small fluctuations can skew sex ratios dramatically. In regulated rivers where water releases alter sand exposure and moisture, incubation temperatures can shift unpredictably. Climate change compounds this instability through rising ambient temperatures. Skewed sex ratios threaten long-term population viability. Balanced reproduction requires precise environmental conditions that are increasingly rare.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Temperature-dependent sex determination turns climate into a demographic force. If nests consistently produce disproportionate males or females, breeding dynamics collapse. Unlike mammals, gharials cannot genetically buffer against temperature variation. Their reproductive biology is directly tied to riverbank microclimates. Altered sediment composition from dam projects further changes thermal properties of nesting sites.
This phenomenon illustrates how subtle environmental shifts cascade into population-level consequences. A predator may appear physically intact while reproductive stability erodes invisibly. Conservationists must monitor sand temperatures alongside population counts. The fate of future generations may hinge on degrees humans barely notice. For the gharial, climate precision is not optional—it is foundational.
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