Population changes in Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) vary spatially in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Gharials, large crocodilians found only in South Asia, are widely seen as a flagship species for river conservationin Nepal, especially in Chitwan National Park, where a headstart program has supplemented the populationsince 1981. The population has shown signs of recovery only in the last decade, so continued monitoring of populationtrends is vital for conservation. We conducted annual winter population surveys for gharial in Chitwan between 2017and 2022, during which we also characterized riverbank substrate availability and basking preferences. We documentedpotential threats to the species in Chitwan throughout the year. Overall, we counted an increasing number of Gharialsin Chitwan; however mixed-effects modelling of Gharial encounter rate showed that increasing encounters rates are notevenly distributed throughout available habitat, with some river stretches having stable or decreasing trends. Encounterrates on the Rapti River increased in all transects, compared to more variable results on the Narayani River, likelyattributable to higher levels of human disturbance and the impact of captivity on habitat selection. Fewer Gharials wereseen in transects with high levels of disturbance due to sand mining and the extraction of river substrates, highlightingthis threat as a major concern. Regular reports of bycatch in illegal gillnets was the major observed source of mortality.A lack of an increasing population trend in the stretch above a large barrage suggests that recruitment is minimal inthis area, and the dam likely has a negative impact on upstream Gharial recruitment. We cautiously suggest that theChitwan population is recovering, but that recovery is hampered by threats, especially substrate extraction, illegal gillnetfishing, and river fragmentation by a dam

Morphological variation of the European Pond Turtle, Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus 1758), on the island of Menorca

The European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis) is a widely distributed species in Menorca (Balearic Islands,western Mediterranean) and it likely was introduced in historical times. In this study, we evaluated sexual dimorphismand morphological variation of E. orbicularis on the island from a sample of 455 individuals captured at ten surveysites. In these individuals, we measured seven linear traits related to body size. In addition, we measured two shapedescriptors (carapace and plastron shape) and iris and plastral coloration. The results showed very pronounced sexualdimorphism, with females being larger than males and also having longer and broader plastra with higher carapaces.The site of capture had significant effects on carapace, plastral shape, and coloration. Both males and females had darkorlight-colored plastra, but some males had almost completely dark plastra (to 99% dark), whereas in females, themaximum extent of black plastra was lower (79%). The sexes also differed in iridal chromatic attributes, with femalesmore frequently having yellow and males having red or orange irises. However, this was not diagnostic of sexual identity,as 13% of females had red irises and 15% of males had yellow irises