What is Gharial?

About Gharial:

• It is a freshwater crocodilebelonging to the Crocodylia Order and Crocodylidae Family.  
• Scientific Name: Gavialis gangeticus
• Distribution:
  • Historically, the gharial's range spanned the rivers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.
  • Today, only fragmented populations remain in Nepal and northern India.
  • Their major population occurs in three tributaries of the Ganga River: the Chambal and Girwa Rivers in India and the Rapti-Naryani River in Nepal.
  • The Gharial reserves of India are located in three States: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• Features:
  • The gharial is one of the largest of all crocodilian species, with males reaching 16 to 20 feet (5 to 6 meters) in length. Females typically grow to lengths of 11.5 to 15 feet (3.5 to 4.5 meters).
  • They have thick skin covered with smooth epidermal scales that do not overlap. 
  • The snout of the gharial is uniquely the thinnest and most elongated among all the crocodilians.
  • In addition, the adult males sport a large bulb at the tip of their snout, called the 'ghara'. 
  • The teeth are more numerous than any other crocodylian species.
  • It is also the most aquatic of all crocodilians, for it never moves far from the water.
  • Because of their weak leg muscles, gharials are poorly equipped for locomotion on land. 
• Conservations Status: The global population of gharials has been reduced from 5000 in the 1940s to a few hundred individuals in the wild.
  • IUCN Red List: Critically endangered.
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • CITES: Appendix I