View source for Ganges shark

{{Short description|Species of shark}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Speciesbox
|fossil_range=Miocene-recent<ref>{{cite journal |last1=P. E. P |first1=Deraniyagala |title=A Miocene vertebrate faunule from the Malu member of Ceylon |journal=Spolia Zeylanica |date=1969}}</ref>
| name = Ganges shark
| image = Naturalis Biodiversity Center - RMNH.ART.45 - Carcharhinus gangeticus (Müller and Henle) - Kawahara Keiga - 1823 - 1829 - Siebold Collection - pencil drawing - water colour.jpeg
| status = CR
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn | author = Rigby, C.L. | author2 = Derrick, D. | author3 = Dulvy, N.K. | author4 = Grant, I | author5 = Jabado, R.W. | title = ''Glyphis gangeticus'' | page = e.T169473392A124398647 | year = 2021 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T169473392A124398647.en | access-date = 10 November 2022}}</ref>
| genus = Glyphis
| species = gangeticus
| authority = ([[Johannes Peter Müller|J. P. Müller]] & [[Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle|Henle]], 1839)
| synonyms =
* ''Carcharhinus gangeticus'' <small>(Müller & Henle, 1839)</small>
* ''Carcharias gangeticus'' <small>(Müller & Henle, 1839)</small>
* ''Carcharias murrayi'' <small>(Günther, 1883)</small>
* ''Eulamia gangetica'' <small>(Müller & Henle, 1839)</small>
* ''Platypodon gangeticus'' <small>(Müller & Henle, 1839)</small>
* ''Carcharias siamensis'' <small>([[Franz Steindachner|Steindachner]], 1896)</small>
* ''Glyphis siamensis'' <small>(Steindachner, 1896)</small>
* ''Glyphis fowlerae'' <small>([[Leonard Joseph Victor Compagno|Compagno]], W. T. White & Cavanagh, 2010)</small>
</tr>
| range_map = Range_map_Ganges_shark.png
| range_map_upright = 0.7
| range_map_caption = ''Glyphis gangeticus'' inhabits the Ganges-Hooghly River system
}}

The '''Ganges shark''' ('''''Glyphis gangeticus''''') is a [[critically endangered]] species of [[requiem shark]] found in the [[Ganges River]] ([[Padma River]]) and the [[Brahmaputra River]] of [[India]] and [[Bangladesh]]. It is often confused with the more common [[bull shark]] (''Carcharhinus leucas''), which also inhabits the Ganges River and is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Ganges shark.<ref name=Compagno1997>{{cite journal |last=Compagno |first=L. J. V. |title=Threatened fishes of the world: ''Glyphis gangeticus'' (Muller & Henle, 1839) (Carcharnidae) |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes |year=1997 |volume=49 |issue=4 |page=400|doi=10.1023/a:1007358922066 |bibcode=1997EnvBF..49..400C |s2cid=35379347 }}</ref> The genus is currently considered to contain three recent species; [[Genetics|genetic]] evidence has shown that both the Borneo river shark (''G. fowlerae'') and Irrawaddy river shark (''G. siamensis'') should be regarded as [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonyms]] of the Ganges shark, expanding the range of the species to [[Pakistan]], [[Myanmar]], [[Borneo]], and [[Java]]. The species remains poorly known and very rare.

==Taxonomy==
Formerly the Borneo river shark (''Glyphis fowlerae'') and the Irrawaddy river shark (''Glyphis siamensis'') were considered to represent two other species in the genus ''Glyphis''. They have recently been reclassified as ''G.&nbsp;gangeticus'' based on genetic studies, and their scientific names are treated as synonyms.<ref name=Li2015>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=C. |last2=Corrigan |first2=S. |last3=Yang |first3=L. |last4=Straube |first4=N. |last5=Harris |first5=M. |last6=Hofreiter |first6=M. |last7=White |first7=W.T. |last8=Naylor |first8=G.J.P. |title=DNA capture reveals transoceanic gene flow in endangered river sharks |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |year=2015 |volume=112 |issue=43 |pages=13302–13307|doi=10.1073/pnas.1508735112 |pmid=26460025 |pmc=4629339|bibcode=2015PNAS..11213302L |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The Borneo river shark is known only from the [[Kinabatangan River]] in [[Borneo]]. It can reach a length of {{convert|78|cm|abbr=on}}. Only 13 specimens are known to science, all collected in 1996. Expeditions in 2010 and 2011 failed to find any, and while fishermen recognised the shark, they have not been seen for many years.<ref name=Li2015/>

The Irrawaddy river shark is known only from a single museum specimen originally caught at the mouth of the [[Irrawaddy River]] in [[Myanmar]], a [[brackish-water]] locality in a large, heavily [[silt]]-laden river lined with [[mangrove forest]]s. It was collected in the 19th century and described as ''Carcharias siamensis'' by [[Austrians|Austrian]] [[ichthyologist]] [[Franz Steindachner]], in ''Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien'' (volume 11, 1896).<ref name="fishbaseirra">{{FishBase |genus=Glyphis |species=siamensis |month=November |year=2009}}</ref> However, subsequent authors doubted the validity of this species, regarding it as an abnormal [[bull shark]] (''Carcharhinus leucas''), until in 2005 shark systematist [[Leonard Compagno]] recognized it as distinct member of the genus ''Glyphis''.<ref name="Martin"/> The specimen is a 60-cm-long immature male. It closely resembles the Ganges shark, but has more [[vertebra]]e (209 versus 169) and fewer teeth (29/29 versus 32&ndash;37/31&ndash;34).<ref name="Martin"/><ref name="compagno et al">{{cite book |author=Compagno, L.J.V. |author2=M. Dando |author3=S. Fowler |name-list-style=amp |title=Sharks of the World |publisher=Princeton University Press |date=2005 |isbn=978-0-691-12072-0 |page=309&ndash;311}}</ref>

A possibly [[undescribed species]] of ''Glyphis'' is known from [[Mukah]] in Borneo, as well as [[Bangladesh]]. The status of a Borneo specimen from [[Sampit]] remains unclear.<ref name=Li2015/>

==Physical appearance==
''G. gangeticus'' is a little-known species that is yet to be adequately described.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Martin |first=R. A. |title=Conservation of freshwater and euryhaline elasmobranchs: a review |journal=[[Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom]] |year=2005 |volume=85 |issue=5 |pages=1049–1073 |doi=10.1017/s0025315405012105|bibcode=2005JMBUK..85.1049M |citeseerx=10.1.1.533.4292 |s2cid=52833147 }}</ref> Its size at birth is {{convert|56|to|61|cm|abbr=on}}, growing to an estimated {{convert|178|cm|abbr=on}} at maturity, with a maximum size of about {{convert|204|cm|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Compagno2005">{{cite book |last=Compagno |first=L. J. V. |title='Ganges shark Glyphis gangeticus'. In: Fowler, S.L., Cavanagh, R.D., Camhi, M., Burgess, G.H., Cailliet, G.M., Fordham, S.V., Simpfendorfer, C.A. and Musick, J.A. (eds). Sharks, rays and chimaeras: the status of the Chondrichthyan fishes. |year=2005 |publisher=IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group, IUCN |location=Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, UK. |pages=305–306}}</ref> The size at birth or maturity is unknown for any other ''Glyphis'' species.<ref name=Martin>{{cite web |last=Martin |first=R. A. |title=The Mysterious, Endangered River Sharks (''Glyphis spp.'') |publisher=ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research |url=http://www.elasmo-research.org/conservation/river_sharks.htm |access-date=10 December 2012}}</ref>

A typical requiem shark in its external appearance, it is stocky, with two spineless [[dorsal fin]]s and an [[anal fin]]. The first dorsal fin originates over the last third of the [[pectoral fin]]s, with a free rear tip that is well in front of the [[pelvic fin]]s. The second dorsal fin is relatively large, but much smaller than the first (about half the height). The anal fin is slightly smaller than the second dorsal fin and the pectoral fins are broad. A longitudinal upper precaudal pit is seen, but no interdorsal ridge. It is uniformly grey to brownish in color, with no discernible markings.<ref name=Compagno1997/>

Its snout is broadly rounded and much shorter than the width of its mouth. The mouth is long, broad, and extends back and up towards the eyes.<ref name=Compagno1997/>

Its eyes are minute, suggesting that it may be adapted to turbid water with poor visibility, such as occurs in the Ganges River and the [[Bay of Bengal]]. It has internal [[nictitating]] eyelids.<ref name=Compagno1997/>

The upper teeth have high, broad, serrated, triangular cusps and the labial furrows are very short. The lower front teeth have long, hooked, protruding cusps with unserrated cutting edges along the entire cusp, but without spear-like tips and with low cusplets on feet of crowns. The [[Shark tooth#Counting|tooth row counts]] are 32–37/31–34.<ref name="Compagno1984">{{cite journal |last=Compagno |first=L. J. V. |title=FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. |journal=FAO Fisheries Synopsis |year=1984 |volume=125 |issue=4/2 |pages=251–655 |url=http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=244&speccode=763 |access-date=6 December 2012}}</ref>

=== Diagnostic features ===
''G. gangeticus'' can be identified by the first few lower front teeth, which have cutting edges along entire cusp, giving the cusps a claw-like shape, and low cusplets. Also, a  second dorsal fin that is about half the height of first dorsal is distinct to this species.<ref name=MSIP>{{cite web |title=Glyphis gangeticus |publisher=Marine Species Identification Portal |url=http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=sharks&id=463 |access-date=6 December 2012}}</ref>

==Distribution==
The Ganges shark, as its name suggests, is largely restricted to the rivers of eastern and northeastern India, particularly the [[Hooghly River]] of [[West Bengal]], and the [[Ganges]], [[Brahmaputra]], and [[Mahanadi river|Mahanadi]] in [[Bihar]], [[Assam]], and [[Odisha]], respectively. It is typically found in the middle to lower reaches of a river.<ref>{{cite web |title=Glyphis gangeticus |publisher=Carnivora forum |url=http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/9333335/1 |access-date=6 December 2012}}</ref> One found in 2018 in a [[Mumbai]] fish market may have come from somewhere along the banks of the [[Arabian Sea]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jabado |first1=R. W. |last2=Kyne |first2=P. M. |last3=Nazareth |first3=E. |last4=Sutaria |first4=D. N. |date=May 2018 |title=A rare contemporary record of the Critically Endangered Ganges shark Glyphis gangeticus |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.13619 |journal=Journal of Fish Biology |language=en |volume=92 |issue=5 |pages=1663–1669 |doi=10.1111/jfb.13619 |pmid=29611178 |bibcode=2018JFBio..92.1663J |issn=0022-1112|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In theory, ''G.&nbsp;gangeticus'' could occur in shallow marine estuaries; however, no marine records of the species have been verified to date. Originally, the species was assigned a wide range in the Indo-West Pacific, but this was found to be mostly based on other species of requiem sharks, particularly members of the genus ''Carcharhinus''.<ref name=Compagno2005/>

Most literature records and specimens labelled as this species are in fact bull sharks (''Carcharhinus leucas'') or other carcharhinid species. An extensive 10-year search produced only a few specimens, caught in 1996 in the Ganges River.<ref>{{cite book |last=Compagno |first=L. J. V. |title='Freshwater and estuarine elasmobranch surveys in the Indo-Pacific region: threats, distribution and speciation'. In: S.L. Fowler, T.M. Reed and F.A. Dipper (eds) Elasmobranch Biodiversity, Conservation and Management; Proceedings of the International Seminar and Workshop, Sabah, Malaysia, July 1997 |year=2002 |publisher=IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group |location=Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK}}</ref>

==Habitat and ecology==
[[File:Carcharias_gangeticus_Day_187.jpg|thumb]]
''G. gangeticus'' is known to inhabit only freshwater, inshore marine, and estuarine systems in the lower reaches of the Ganges-Hooghly River system. Their feeding habits are mostly unknown. The shark's small eyes and slender teeth suggest that it is primarily a fish-eater and is adapted to turbid water.<ref name="Compagno1997"/> With such limited visibility typical of many tropical rivers and estuaries, other senses − such as hearing, smell, and [[electroreception]] − are likely used for predation.<ref name="Martin"/> Because its eyes are tilted towards its back rather than to the sides or bottom (as is the case in most carcharhinids), the shark may swim along the bottom and scan the water above it for potential prey back-lit by the sun.<ref name="Compagno1984"/> However, in the Bay of Bengal, ''G.&nbsp;gangeticus'' was found to feed heavily on dasyatid [[stingray]]s, which spend much of their time on the bottom.<ref>{{cite book |last=Roberts |first=T. R. |title='Debunking the mythology of the so-called freshwater shark of the Ganges. Glyphis gangeticus (Elasmobranchii, Carcharhinidae)'. In: 7th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference. Howard International Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan. Academica Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan |year=2005 |publisher=Ichythological Society of Taiwan |location=Taipei, Taiwan}}</ref>

=== Reproduction ===
It is probably [[viviparous]], with a yolk-sac placenta (speculation through analogy to related species of carcharhinids). The litter size and gestation period are unknown.<ref name=Compagno1997/> However, their life history cycle is probably similar to other river sharks, characterized by long gestation, slow growth, delayed maturity, and small litter size. These factors make the Ganges shark populations vulnerable to even relatively low levels of exploitation, such as sport angling or gill netting.<ref name=Martin/>

=== Possibility of migration ===
Some researchers consider ''G.&nbsp;gangeticus'' to be [[Fish migration|amphidromous]], covering more than {{convert|100|km|abbr=on}} in both directions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hărșan |first1=R. |last2=Petrescu-Mag |first2=I. V. |title=Endangered fish species of the world – a review |journal=AACL Bioflux |year=2008 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=193–216}}</ref> However, this is not thought to be for breeding, as the case in anadromous and catadromous species.<ref name="Ref. 51243">{{cite book |last=Riede |first=K. |title=2004 Global register of migratory species - from global to regional scales. Final Report of the R&D-Projekt 808 05 081. |year=2004 |publisher=Federal Agency for Nature Conservation |location=Bonn, Germany |pages=329}}</ref> The presence of newborn individuals in the Hooghly River suggests that the young may be born in fresh water.<ref name="MSIP"/>

A specimen photographed in 2011 by natural history journalist Malaka Rodrigo at [[Negombo]] fish market in Sri Lanka prompted researcher Rex de Silva to speculate on whether the species could occasionally be carried south of its normal range by ocean currents. However, only the head of the shark appears in the photo. Leading shark expert [[Leonard Compagno]] emphasised the need to check the dentition and the dorsal fin proportions to confirm the specimen as ''G.&nbsp;gangeticus'', stating that it could also be one of the four other named species.<ref>{{cite journal |last=de Silva |first=Rex I. |title=Does the Ganges shark ''Glyphis gangeticus'' stray to Sri Lanka? |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |date=May–August 2011 |volume=108 |issue=2 |page=136 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/215535273}}</ref>

=== Specimens ===
''G. gangeticus'' was originally known only from three 19th-century museum specimens, one each in the [[National Museum of Natural History]] in Paris, [[Natural History Museum, Berlin]] in Berlin, and the [[Zoological Survey of India]] in [[Calcutta]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baillie |first1=Jonathan |last2=Groombridge |first2=Brian |title=1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals |publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature |location=Gland, Switzerland |isbn=9782831703350|year=1996 }}</ref> No records exist between 1867 and 1996, and the 1996 records have not been confirmed as ''G.&nbsp;gangeticus''. A specimen collected {{convert|84|km|abbr=on}} upstream of the mouth of the Hooghly River at [[Mahishadal]] in 2001 was identified as ''G.&nbsp;gangeticus'', but on photographs of the jaw only.<ref name=Compagno1984/> If ''Carcharias murrayi'' (Günter, 1887) can be considered a junior synonym of this species, one was found near [[Karachi]], Pakistan. However, the [[holotype]] was apparently lost or misplaced in the [[British Museum of Natural History]].<ref name=Compagno1997/>

One female specimen was recorded at Sassoon Docks in [[Mumbai]], India, in February 2016, measuring {{cvt|266|cm|abbr=on}} [[fish measurement|total length]]. It was caught in the [[Arabian Sea]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jabado|first1=R. W.|last2=Kyne|first2=P. |last3=Nazareth|first3=E.|last4=Sutaria|first4=D. N.|date=2018|title=A rare contemporary record of the Critically Endangered Ganges shark ''Glyphis gangeticus'' |journal=Journal of Fish Biology|language=en|volume=92|issue=5|pages=1663–1669|doi=10.1111/jfb.13619|pmid=29611178|bibcode=2018JFBio..92.1663J |issn=1095-8649}}</ref>

=== Molecular biology ===
''Glyphis'' species, like other sharks, exhibit a very slow rate of genetic change. This makes them even more vulnerable to becoming extinct, as they are unable to adapt to the rapid and extreme changes caused by humans to their environment.<ref name="Martin"/>

As only a few specimens exist, naturally little material available is for genetic sampling. However, two websites list records for ''G.&nbsp;gangeticus'':

The Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats website<ref>{{cite web |title=Glyphis gangeticus |publisher=Barcode of Life Data Systems |url=http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=179821 |access-date=6 December 2012}}</ref> lists one record:<br />
Public Records: 0<br />
Specimens with Barcodes: 1<br />
Species With Barcodes: 1

The NCBI Taxonomy database has one record of mitochondrial genetic material (1,044 base pairs of linear DNA):<br />
''Glyphis gangeticus'' bio-material GN2669,<ref>{{cite web|title=Glyphis gangeticus|date=31 July 2012|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/397768867|publisher=NCBI|access-date=10 December 2012}}</ref> reported in a 2012 paper on DNA sequencing in shark and ray species.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Naylor |first1=G. J. P. |last2=Caira |first2=J. N. |last3=Jensen |first3=K. |last4=Rosana |first4=A. M. |last5=White |first5=W. T. |last6=Last |first6=P. R. |title=A DNA Sequence-Based Approach To the Identification of Shark and Ray Species and Its Implications for Global Elasmobranch Diversity and Parasitology |journal=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History |year=2012 |volume=367 |pages=1–262 |doi=10.1206/754.1 |hdl=2246/6183 |s2cid=83264478 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/195492 }}</ref>

==Conservation==
''G. gangeticus'' is one of 20 sharks on the [[Iucn red list|International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List]] of endangered shark species. The species is currently classified as [[critically endangered]]. According to the organisation, fewer than 250 Ganges sharks are believed to exist. The need is urgent for a detailed survey of the shark fisheries of the Bay of Bengal.<ref name=iucn/><ref name="Compagno1997"/>

=== Major threats ===
River sharks are thought to be particularly vulnerable to habitat changes. The Ganges shark is restricted to a very narrow band of habitat that is heavily affected by human activity. Overfishing, habitat degradation from [[Ganges#Pollution and environmental concerns|pollution]], increasing river use, and management including the construction of dams and barrages, are the principal threats. Thought to be consumed locally for its meat, the Ganges shark is caught by [[gillnet]], and its oil, along with that of the [[South Asian river dolphin]], is highly sought after as a fish attractant.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Hoq |editor1-first=M. Enamul |editor2-last=Haroon |editor2-first=A. K. Yousuf |editor3-last=Hussain |editor3-first=M. G. |title=Shark fisheries in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh: Status and potentialities |date=January 2011 |work=Support to Sustainable Management of the BOBLME Project |publisher=Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) |location=Dhaka, Bangladesh |isbn=978-984-33-3276-9 |pages=76 |url=http://www.boblme-bangladesh.org/publications/reports/Shark%20fisheries.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051608/http://www.boblme-bangladesh.org/publications/reports/Shark%20fisheries.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=12 October 2014}}</ref> It is also believed to be part of the Asian [[Shark finning|shark fin trade]].<ref name=Compagno2005/> After a sighting in 2006, the species was not seen again for over a decade until one was found at a Mumbai fish market in 2016.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Adamson |first=Allan |date=2018-04-21 |title=Rare River Shark Species Not Seen In A Decade Found On Sale In A Fish Market |url=http://www.techtimes.com/articles/225842/20180421/rare-river-shark-species-not-seen-in-a-decade-found-on-sale-in-a-fish-market.htm |access-date=2018-04-22 |work=Tech Times |language=en}}</ref>

The single Irrawaddy river shark specimen stems from an area of intensive [[artisanal fishing]], mainly gillnetting, but also line and [[electrofishing]]. [[Habitat degradation]] may pose a further threat to this shark, including [[water pollution]] and the clearing of mangrove trees for fuel, construction materials, and other products. The shark may be naturally rare in this area and highly restricted in  its range. Despite fishing and scientific surveys in the area, no more Irrawaddy river sharks have been recorded in the 100-plus years since the first.<ref>{{Cite journal | author = Barnett, L.A.K. | author2 = K.L. Quaranta | author3 = D.A. Ebert | author4 = W.T. White | author5 = L.J.V. Compagno | name-list-style = amp | title = ''Glyphis siamensis'' | journal = [[The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]] | volume = 2009 | page = e.T161611A5464198 | date = 2009 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T161611A5464198.en | doi-access = free }}</ref>

=== Conservation actions ===
In 2001, the Indian government banned the landing of all species of chondrichthyan fish in its ports. However, shortly afterwards, this ban was amended to cover only 10 species of chondrichthyans. These, including ''G. gangeticus'', are protected under Schedule I, Part II A of the [[Wildlife Protection Act of 1972|Wildlife Protection Act of India]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Schedule I, Part II A, Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972|year=2006|publisher=Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nmcg.nic.in/pdf/Status%20report%2010%2005%202018_WII%20(1).pdf |title=Aquatic Fauna of Ganga River: Status and Conservation. Ganga Aqualife |editor=S.A. Hussain and Ruchi Badola |publisher=Conservation Monitoring Centre, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun}}WII-GACMC (2017) Pp 120,124</ref> Doubt exists about the effectiveness of this measure, however, because of difficulties in enforcement. A widespread, albeit widely dispersed, artisanal fishery exists for both local consumption and international trade. Compagno (1997) recommends an in-depth survey of fishing camps and landing sites, along with a sampling program in the Ganges system to determine the current status of this shark along with other Gangetic elasmobranchs such as [[stingray]]s and [[sawfish]].<ref name=iucn/>

==Human interaction==
The Ganges shark is widely feared as a ferocious man-eater,<ref>{{cite book |last=Coppleson |first=V. M. |title=Shark Attack |year=1962 |publisher=Angus and Robertson |location=Sydney, Australia}}</ref> but most of the attacks attributed to it are probably the result of confusion with the bull shark ''Carcharhinus leucas''.<ref name="Compagno1984"/> This is likely because bull sharks are known to travel long distances into freshwater systems and may co-exist in the same waters as the Ganges shark. Since little is known about the behaviour of genuine freshwater river sharks, and since ''G.&nbsp;gangeticus'' is critically endangered, contact with humans is very rare.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Courtenay |first1=G. |last2=Smith |first2=D. R. |last3=Gladstone |first3=W. |title=Occupational health issues in marine freshwater research |journal=Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology |year=2012 |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=4 |doi=10.1186/1745-6673-7-4 |pmc=3317851 |pmid=22429712 |doi-access=free }}</ref> There has been one attack which might be attributable to the Ganges shark, this attack happened in 1868 and was attributed to the shark by [[Joseph Fayrer]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to search GSAF data |url=https://www.sharkattackfile.net/incidentlog.htm |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=www.sharkattackfile.net}}</ref>

The biological differences between the Ganges shark and bull shark also point to a lower likelihood of attacks on humans by the Ganges shark. ''G.&nbsp;gangeticus'' has much narrower, higher, upper teeth and slender-cusped, less heavily built lower teeth than ''C.&nbsp;leucas''. Such small sharp teeth are more suitable for fish-impaling, and less useful for dismembering tough mammalian prey than the stout teeth of the bull shark.<ref name=MSIP/>

==Etymology==

''Glyphis'': from Greek ''glyphe'', means "carving".<ref name=FishBaseCommon>{{cite web |title=Common names of ''Glyphis gangeticus'' |publisher=Fish base |url=http://www.fishbase.us/comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=887&GenusName=Glyphis&SpeciesName=gangeticus&StockCode=903 |access-date=10 December 2012}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of sharks]]
*[[List of critically endangered fishes]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.fishbase.us/ComNames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=887&GenusName=Glyphis&SpeciesName=gangeticus&StockCode=903/ Fish base. ''Glyphis gangeticus''  ]
*[https://www.gbif.org/species/5215563 Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF): ''Glyphis gangeticus'']
*[https://www.iucnssg.org/ IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group]
*{{WRMS species | 277183 | ''Glyphis gangeticus'' (Müller & Henle, 1839) }}

{{Carcharhinidae}}
{{Selachimorpha}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1471147}}

[[Category:Glyphis (shark)|Ganges shark]]
[[Category:Ganges]]
[[Category:Fish of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Fish of India]]
[[Category:Brahmaputra River]]
[[Category:Freshwater fish of South Asia]]<!--brackish delta-->
[[Category:Critically endangered fish]]
[[Category:Critically endangered fauna of Asia]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1839|Ganges shark]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle|Ganges shark]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johannes Peter Müller|Ganges shark]]