Wildlifeof Nepal
Gharial
Crocodiles & False Gharial
Photo: Fábio Olmos · CC-BY
Gavialis gangeticus
Basic stats
Diet
Fish
Habitat
Rivers; leaves the water only to bask and nest on moist sandbanks
Range
Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Pakistan historically; now small populations including Karnali–Babai in Bardia and Narayani–Rapti in Chitwan
Clutch size
20–95 eggs
Size
Females 2.6–4.5m; males 3–6m
The gharial is among the longest of all living crocodilians, with mature females 2.6 to 4.5m long and males 3 to 6m. It is the most thoroughly aquatic crocodilian, with a long, narrow snout and 110 sharp, interlocking teeth that suit it to catching fish. Adult males have a distinct boss at the tip of the snout, like an earthenware pot called a ghara, which gives the animal its name (Wikipedia, general species account).
In Nepal small populations are present and slowly recovering in tributaries of the Ganges: the Karnali–Babai river system in Bardia National Park and the Narayani–Rapti river system in Chitwan National Park. It was considered extinct in the Koshi River since 1970, and captive-bred gharials have been released in India and Nepal since the early 1980s. Females gather in spring to dig nests on moist sandbanks and lay 20 to 95 eggs.
Quick answers
- What does the Gharial eat?
- Fish
- What habitat does the Gharial live in?
- Rivers; leaves the water only to bask and nest on moist sandbanks
- Where is the Gharial found?
- Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Pakistan historically; now small populations including Karnali–Babai in Bardia and Narayani–Rapti in Chitwan
- How many eggs does the Gharial lay?
- 20–95 eggs
- How big is the Gharial?
- Females 2.6–4.5m; males 3–6m