Gharial
Scientific name: Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789)
Overview
The gharial, also known as gavial or fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian in the family Gavialidae and among the longest of all living crocodilians. Mature females are 2.6 to 4.5 m long, and males 3 to 6 m. Adult males have a distinct boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an earthenware pot known as a ghara, hence the name "gharial". The gharial is well adapted to catching fish because of its long, narrow snout and 110 sharp, interlocking teeth.
From the Wikipedia article “Gharial”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar (= Burma), N India (Madhya Pradesh etc), Nepal, Pakistan.
Common names
Also known in English as Fish-eating Crocodile, Gavial, Indian Gavial, Indian Gharial, Long-nosed Crocodile.
Names in other languages (14)
- Arabic
- غريال
- Bengali
- ঘড়িয়াল
- Chinese
- 恒河鳄
- French
- Gavial du Gange
- German
- Gangesgavial
- Hindi
- घड़ियाल, पशु
- Indonesian
- Gavial
- Japanese
- インドガビアル
- Persian
- گریال
- Portuguese
- Gavial
- Russian
- Гангский гавиал
- Spanish
- Gavial del Ganges
- Turkish
- Hint gavyali
- Urdu
- گھڑیال(جانور)
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Reptile Database.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q17134, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Gharial”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Bo Link from Knoxville, TN, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026