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Wildlife Guide · India & Nepal

Gharial

Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789)

The fish-eater of the Ganges — a crocodilian unlike any other, down to its last rivers.

IUCN: Critically Endangered
An adult male gharial with an elongated narrow snout and a bulbous nasal growth basking on a sandbank of an Indian river.

Image: Source: Wikimedia Commons — verify license before production

In brief

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a Critically Endangered fish-eating crocodilian of India and Nepal with fewer than 900 mature individuals remaining; river damming, sand mining and pollution are the primary threats.

By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated

The gharial is one of the most distinctive crocodilians on Earth, with an extraordinarily long, thin snout packed with interlocking teeth — adapted exclusively for catching fish. Males develop a bulbous nasal growth called a ghara at sexual maturity. Once widespread across the river systems of the Indian subcontinent, gharials now cling to a handful of rivers in India and Nepal. Listed as Critically Endangered, fewer than 900 mature individuals remain. Dam construction, sand mining, fishing nets and river pollution have destroyed the clean, deep, fast-flowing water gharials require.

Critically Endangered

IUCN Red List status (2022 assessment)

<900

Mature individuals remaining

4.5 m

Maximum length (large males)

Appendix I

CITES listing — commercial trade banned

Figures sourced from IUCN Red List — Gavialis gangeticus, IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group, CITES — Checklist of CITES Species .

Gharial: Quick Facts

Vital statistics and key facts about the Gharial
Length 3.5–4.5 m (males); females smaller
Diet Almost exclusively fish
Distinctive feature Long narrow snout; male ghara
Habitat Deep, fast-flowing rivers with sandbanks
Population Fewer than 900 mature individuals
CITES Appendix I

Scientific Classification

Scientific classification of the Gharial
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Crocodilia
Family Gavialidae
Species Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789)

Conservation Status

IUCN Status
Critically Endangered (IUCN, 2022). Fewer than 900 mature individuals.
Population
Fewer than 900 mature individuals in India and Nepal
Trend
Decreasing
Assessed
2022
CITES
Appendix I

Head-starting programmes release captive-reared juveniles into protected rivers.

Key Facts: Gharial

  • Gharials have the longest, thinnest snout of any crocodilian — built for catching fish.
  • Males develop a bulbous 'ghara' on the snout tip used in vocalisation and display.
  • Fewer than 900 mature gharials remain in the wild.
  • They require clean, deep, fast-flowing rivers with sandbanks for nesting.
  • Dam construction and sand mining have destroyed most historic gharial habitat.
  • Captive breeding and head-starting programmes release juveniles into protected rivers.

A crocodilian built for fish

The gharial belongs to the family Gavialidae, separate from true crocodiles and alligators. Its snout is exceptionally long and narrow, with 110–130 interlocking teeth — the most of any crocodilian. This morphology generates minimal water disturbance when snapping at fish. Gharials are not built for land; adults rarely leave the water except to bask and nest. Males reach 4–4.5 m; females are smaller. The ghara — a cartilaginous nasal bulb — amplifies hissing and buzzing vocalisations during the breeding season and may serve as a visual signal.

River life and breeding

Gharials inhabit deep, clear, fast-flowing rivers with high oxygen levels and abundant fish. They bask communally on sandbanks, often in groups of dozens. Breeding occurs during the dry season; females dig nest holes in sandbars and lay 30–60 eggs. Incubation takes roughly 70 days. Hatchlings measure about 37 cm and receive no parental care, though females guard nests. Head-starting programmes — rearing hatchlings in captivity for two to three years before release — have boosted wild populations in the Chambal and Girwa rivers.

Collapse and remnant rivers

Gharial populations collapsed from an estimated 5,000–10,000 in the 1940s to fewer than 200 by the 1970s. The Chambal River — straddling Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh — now holds the largest wild population. Smaller groups survive in the Girwa (Katarniaghat), Son, Gandak and Narayani rivers. Dam construction fragments rivers and alters flow; sand mining destroys nesting banks; fishing nets entangle and drown gharials; pollution reduces fish stocks. The species cannot survive in reservoirs or sluggish, polluted water.

Conservation and recovery efforts

India and Nepal protect gharials under national law. Captive breeding at facilities in India and Nepal produces hundreds of juveniles annually for release. The IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group coordinates monitoring. Community engagement along the Chambal reduces sand mining and net fishing. Despite these efforts, the 2022 IUCN assessment recorded fewer than 900 mature individuals with a continuing decline. CITES Appendix I bans commercial trade. Saving gharials requires free-flowing rivers — a challenge that benefits all freshwater biodiversity.

What WARN Does

WARN publishes this gharial guide as free public education. River conservation in India and Nepal — gharial range — aligns with the freshwater habitat protection that sustains biodiversity across South Asia.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

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How does the gharial compare?

Crocodile vs Gharial →

How can I help save the gharial?

There are three practical things that make a real difference for the gharial — and the first is the one that funds everything else.

1

Fund frontline rescue

Back the partner-led teams, veterinary care and protection that reach gharials where the need is greatest — WARN channels donations straight to that work.

2

Ease the pressures

Avoid the wildlife trade and souvenirs, never buy wild animals as pets, and choose sustainable, habitat-friendly products — the threats behind the gharial's decline fall when demand does.

3

Spread the word

Share accurate, sourced information about the gharial. Wider awareness is what turns concern into lasting protection.

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Gharial: Frequently Asked Questions

How can I help save the gharial?
The most effective way to help the gharial is to fund the frontline rescue and habitat protection that keeps the species alive — WARN channels donations to partner-led teams working where the need is greatest. You can also ease the pressures behind its decline by avoiding the wildlife trade and souvenirs, never buying wild animals as pets, and choosing sustainable products, and by sharing accurate information to build wider support. See the ways to help below, or support WARN's Support Habitat Protection.

Are gharials dangerous to humans?
Gharials are not man-eaters. Their narrow snouts and fish-specialist teeth cannot take large prey. No confirmed fatal gharial attack on a human has been documented. They are shy and retreat from disturbance.

What is the ghara?
The ghara is a bulbous growth on the tip of the adult male gharial's snout, named after an Indian pot. It amplifies vocalisations during breeding and may serve as a visual signal to females and rival males.

How many gharials are left?
The 2022 IUCN assessment estimated fewer than 900 mature individuals in India and Nepal. The Chambal River holds the largest remaining population.

What do gharials eat?
Gharials eat fish almost exclusively. Juveniles also take insects and small crustaceans. Their long, narrow snouts are specialised for fast sideways snapping at fish in water.

Why are gharials Critically Endangered?
Dam construction, sand mining, fishing net entanglement and river pollution have destroyed the clean, flowing rivers and sandbank nesting sites gharials require.

Where can you see gharials?
Wild gharials can be viewed on the Chambal River (India), Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary and in Nepal's Narayani River system. Boat safaris on the Chambal offer reliable sightings.

Where do gharials live?
Gharials live in deep, fast-flowing rivers with sandbanks in India and Nepal, including the Chambal River which holds the largest remaining wild population. They cannot survive in reservoirs or sluggish, polluted water. Listed Critically Endangered with fewer than 900 mature individuals, they once ranged widely across the Indian subcontinent. Dam construction, sand mining, fishing nets and river pollution have destroyed the clean flowing habitat this fish-eating crocodilian requires.

How big is a gharial?
Male gharials reach 3.5–4.5 m in length, with large males up to 4.5 m — among the longest of all crocodilians. Females are smaller. The extraordinarily long, thin snout packed with interlocking teeth is adapted exclusively for catching fish. Males develop a bulbous nasal growth called a ghara at sexual maturity. Fewer than 900 mature individuals remain in India and Nepal, listed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

How long do gharials live?
A precise wild lifespan for gharials is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a Critically Endangered fish-eating crocodilian of India and Nepal with fewer than 900 mature individuals remaining; river damming, sand mining and pollution are the primary threats. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

Sources & References

Population figures, conservation status and biological facts on this page are drawn from authoritative scientific and intergovernmental sources.

Terms used on this page

Plain-English definitions, from our wildlife and conservation glossary.

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