With their long, slender snouts and rows of needle-like teeth, gharials are among the most distinctive crocodilians on Earth. Found in a handful of rivers across India and Nepal, these gentle fish-eaters are also one of the most endangered reptiles alive today.
Here are some genuinely fascinating, fact-checked facts about gharials and why protecting them matters.
Gharials have long, thin snouts lined with 106 to 110 sharp, interlocking teeth, an adaptation for gripping slippery fish.
Gharials are classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with their population having declined by an estimated 96 to 98 percent since the 1940s.
Gharials live in a small number of river systems on the Indian subcontinent, and a large share of the wild population is concentrated in India's Chambal River.
Gharials can live several decades, with wild individuals estimated to reach around 40 to 60 years of age.
Adult male gharials can grow to an impressive 16 to 21 feet long, making them among the longest living crocodilians, though the saltwater crocodile remains the heaviest species.
Gharials are almost exclusively piscivores, feeding on fish that they snatch sideways with quick, sweeping motions of their narrow jaws.
Mature male gharials develop a bulbous growth at the tip of their snout called a 'ghara,' after the Hindi word for a clay pot, which they use to make buzzing sounds and blow bubbles to attract mates.
During the breeding season, males use vocalizations and ghara-amplified sounds to establish territory and attract females.
Female gharials dig nests in sandy riverbanks and lay 20 to 60 eggs per clutch, guarding the nest site until the eggs hatch.
Unlike most crocodilians, adult gharials cannot carry hatchlings in their mouths because of their narrow snouts, so females guide the young to the water instead.
Conservation programs, including captive breeding and head-starting projects, have released thousands of young gharials into protected rivers since the 1970s.
In Hindu tradition, the gharial is associated with Ganga, the goddess of the river Ganges, and appears in temple art and mythology as her vehicle or companion.
Gharials are almost entirely aquatic and are poorly suited to walking on land, moving instead by sliding on their bellies.
As top predators of fish in their river ecosystems, healthy gharial populations help indicate and maintain the overall health of freshwater habitats.
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