The Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a unique species of crocodilian, distinguished by its extremely long, narrow snout and a bulbous growth, called a 'ghara,' on the end of the adult male's snout, which gives the animal its common name from the Hindustani word for an earthen pot. This highly aquatic reptile is the last surviving species of the ancient family Gavialidae. The gharial is native to the northern Indian subcontinent, with fossil remains found in the Pliocene deposits of the Sivalik Hills and the Narmada River valley.
The species once thrived across all major river systems, including the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra, but its population declined drastically since the 1930s, limiting its range to only about 2% of its historical extent. This decline, which saw the population drop by 96–98% between 1946 and 2006, was caused by hunting for skins and medicine, egg collection, and habitat loss.
The gharial is a conservation concept in India, listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2007 and included in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This listing provides the highest level of legal protection against hunting and trade. Conservation efforts, including the launch of Project Crocodile in the mid-1970s, focused on captive breeding and "head-starting" programs, which involved raising hatchlings until they were large enough for release. Over 3,000 captive-reared gharials have been released since the early 1980s.
The species' survival is now concentrated in a few fragmented populations, with the National Chambal Sanctuary holding the largest wild population. Current threats include habitat modification from dams and barrages, sand mining, riverbank cultivation, and accidental drowning in fishing nets. The construction of the Girijapuri irrigation barrage on the Girwa–Kaudiyala Rivers in 1976 is an example of infrastructure that isolated a gharial population within the Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.