Gharial - Habitat & Distribution

Habitat

• Gharials are native to deep, fast-flowing rivers, but prefer calmer areas of these rivers such as river bends.
• Gharials are adapted for life in perennial rivers, and are perhaps the most aquatic of all crocodilians..
• Though they spend most of their time in water, sandy banks are essential for building nests and for basking.
• Gharials prefer steep sandy banks to build their nests in.

Distribution

Current : India, Nepal
Historical : India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar

Historical and Current Range

• Gharials now remain in only a small fraction of their historical range, in a few areas of India and Nepal.
• In the past they were found in the river systems of Pakistan, northern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and in the lowlands of Bhutan and Nepal.
• The most important surviving populations are within four tributaries of the Ganges River: The Girwa, Son, and Chambal Rivers in India and the Rapti-Narayani River in Nepal.
• The most significant breeding population is within the Chambal River, which spans the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.

                                                                                                   Source: GCA