gharial or Gavialis gangeticus at nahargarh biological park, jaipur

• The gharial ( Gavialis gangeticus), also known as the gavial , and the fish-eating crocodile , is a crocodilian of the family Gavialidae, native to the northern part of the Indian Subcontinent . The global wild gharial population is estimated at fewer than 235 individuals, which are threatened by loss of riverine habitat, depletion of fish resources, and entanglement in fishing nets. As the population has declined drastically in the past 70 years, the gharial is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List .

The gharial is one of the longest of all living crocodilians,

measuring up to 6.25 m (20.5 ft), though it should be noted

that this is an extreme upper limit, as the average adult gharial

is only 3.5 to 4.5 m (11 to 15 ft) in size. With 110 sharp,

interdigitated teeth in its long, thin snout, it is well adapted to

catching fish, its main diet. The male gharial has a

distinctive boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an

earthenware pot known in Hindi as ghara . The gharial's

common name is derived from this similarity.

Gharials once inhabited all the major river systems of the

Indian Subcontinent, from the Irrawaddy River in the east to

the Indus River in the west. Their distribution is now limited to

only 2% of their former range. They inhabit foremost flowing

rivers with high sand banks that they use for basking and

building nests. They usually mate in the cold season. The

young hatch before the onset of the monsoon.

The gharial is one of three crocodilians native to India , the

other two being the mugger crocodile and the saltwater

crocodile .