Revered by the Hindus as the holiest river, the Ganges is worshipped as Mother Ganga, the goddess of creation and abundance. Formed by a convergence of Himalayan springs, the Ganges traverses a length of 2,500 kilometres, supporting half a billion people and a host of freshwater fauna.
What makes it unique
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Life in the Ganges
Inspired by the Hindu temples that line the river, this exhibit features an array of South Asian species like the fish-eating Indian gharial, frog-faced softshell turtle and the intriguing goonch catfish.
Dubbed the giant devil catfish, it’s said to have developed a taste for human flesh from scavenging on the corpses of funeral pyres disposed of in the Ganges. That it’s a fearsome hunter is for sure—it has a mouth full of sharp backward-pointing teeth, much like those of sharks.
