The Mystery of Nepal's Orange Crocodiles and Gharials.
Freshwater mugger crocodiles and gharials in Nepal's Chitwan National Park are turning orange due to high levels of iron in the water. The iron reacts with oxygen to form an orange substance called iron oxide, which could have coated their scales and teeth in a temporary layer of rusty particles. The gharial population in Nepal has plummeted by 98% since the 1940s due to overhunting, and most of the 200 remaining gharials live in Chitwan National Park, where they face additional threats linked to pollution, mining, and declining fish populations.