Annual Report of the European Studbook (ESB) for the TOMISTOMA Tomistoma schlegellii

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1 Annual Report of the European Studbook (ESB) for the TOMISTOMA Tomistoma schlegellii Compiled by Gonzalo Fernández Hoyo (studbook keeper), Jesús Recuero (assistant) and David García (curator of herpetology). BIOPARC FUENGIROLA Camilo José Cela, Fuengirola, Málaga Spain.

2 Status of Tomistoma Tomistoma schlegellii ESB as of 30 October 2010 Amsterdam (NL) 1.1 (0.1 on loan from Basel) Berlin, Tierpark (GE) 1.0 Dvur Kralove (CZ) 1.1 Fuengirola (ES) (0.1 on loan from Barcelona) Leipzig (GE) 0.0.XX Moscow (RU) 0.1 Pierralat (FR) 2.5 Protivin (CZ) 6.4 (0.1 on loan from Dvur Kralove and 0.1 from Riga) Riga (LT) 1.2 Sao Paulo (BR) 0.1 Total ESB population: XX in 9 European and 1 Latin American collections European non participant holders Eskilstrup (DK) 0.1 Ulm (GE) 0.1

3 Nomenclature We will finally adopt the term TOMISTOMA (from the latin sharp mouth ) as the common name for the species, following IUCN. This organization reserves the term GHARIAL (hindi for one with a ghara, the knob on the tip of the male snout). As Tomistoma lack this knob, it would seem inaccurate to use the term for them. Also, this settlement avoids the geographical not so accurate nomenclatures (Malaysian gavial, Sunda gharial, etc). There is quite an interesting article about this issue in IUCN Crocodile specialist group newsletter, Volume 29 No.1., January March You can access it at: then click on Vol 29 1 GHARIAL ( one with a ghara ) TOMISTOMA ( sharp mouth )

4 New ESB participant We welcome Leipzig Zoo, Germany, as a new ESB participant, following a successful importation of juveniles CB Southeast Asia. Leipzig Zoo has kept Tomitoma historically. The picture below shows the arrival of their first individual in 1942.

5 News from Sao Paulo Sao Paulo Zoo joined the studbook in They had been building a new exhibit for their pair of Tomistoma. Transfer of the animals was carefully planned and effectively took place on May. Apparently everything went as planned. However the male, 4,5 m long, estimated at 400 Kg, weighted 700 Kg, probably a record for Tomistoma (?). Unfortunately he died immediately after being released into the new exhibit. Blood samples showed that he was very anaemic (PCV 9%). Necropsy showed an abnormal amount of fat deposit everywhere. He died of heart failure due to hypovolemic shock, conditioned by his obesity. Sao Paulo s male being crated. The female, 3,3 m long, weighted 300 Kg. Her transfer was successful. As our animals are so valuable, we could perhaps be more alert for obesity in the future.

6 News from Bioparc Fuengirola Ever since 2004, our pair has kept copulating yearly. On 2005 and 2006, two normal egg clutches were properly laid in a nest, with only one hatchling in However since 2006 ovoposition became aberrant, with our female guarding the one nest in front of the access ramp, becoming nervous and aggressive towards the male, and laying eggs in or out of the water, but not laying a full clutch in the nest. In March 2010, we enlarged the space for our Tomistomas, by giving them access to the adjacent exhibit. We have tripled the size of the enclosure, from 100 to 300 sqm, half land half water. There are now two different pools with multiple access ramps. Our animals can get out of sight from each other.

7 12 copulas have been registered from February to June, 7 of them on March. On March, the log barrier was removed allowing access to the new territory. However, our pair was concentrated on their mating in their old pond, and took them a while to walk to their new area. We forced an entry into the new territory by offering food in it a month after removal of the log barrier. During April, the male René explored the new land, and each morning you could find him on either pond. On occasions, he was seen bubble calling the female from the new pond, as on the picture above. It took our female Montse another month to walk across and explore the new area. We had prepared for her four nests made with a mixture of sand, vegetable matter and turf, two on the old area and two on the new one. She immediately chose one, in the middle of the new area, and remained attached to it, visiting and guarding it daily. By mid May she expelled René from the new area. Once in June she appeared with some wounds on her back, most likely after a fight defending her new territory.

8 Her territoriality reached a peak during the months of July and August. Then she was seen, for the first time in all these years, threatening the gibbons when they climbed the Ficus benjamina over the beach by hissing at them, and chasing one peacock taking a stroll on the beach. She deliberately did not want to hunt this peacock but to chase him away. Luckily, the gibbons and peacocks got the message and moved away. Unfortunately, all this apparently good behavior did not materialize in her laying a full clutch on the nest. We believe it is the first year of the enlarged enclosure, all the changes too sudden for her, and look for better results in the future. However, she laid eggs in the water, from 5 May to 5 June, on five different occasions. The first two times she laid them in the old pond, the last three in the new pond. On June 5 she laid 6 eggs during the celebration of Dreamnight at the Zoo, and these were recovered immediately. 14 eggs were incubated at 30 and 31ºC, in two different compartments. Some of them showed clear signs of being fertile. On September 11 a new baby hatched. Having been born on such a date, it was named Manhattan. A second one hatched on the 23rd. Two other embryos developed but did not survive hatching.

9 Manhattan.