The crocodile-like gharial gets its name from the Hindi word ghara, a stout clay pot which resembles the bulbous growth on the nose of mature males. The growth, called a ghara, is used to attract mates and to generate bubbles, a facet of the mating ritual.
Gharials, also called gavials, are easily distinguished from crocodiles by their long, thin, almost tubular snout filled with small, razor-sharp teeth. This unique adaptation reduces drag in the water and allows them to quickly snap side-to-side to capture fish.
Gharials are among the largest of the crocodilians, with some males exceeding 20 feet (6 meters) in length. They are, unfortunately, also among the most endangered animals on the planet. Poaching for the skin trade, habitat reduction and accidental killings by fishermen have cut the wild population of this once-abundant predator to about 2,000. Males are also hunted in the belief that powder from its dried snout is an aphrodisiac.
Gharials live in the major rivers and waterways of the northern Indian subcontinent. They are likely extinct or nearly extinct in all of their range except India, where government efforts to preserve the species are having some success.
On land, gharials are unable to "high walk" like other crocodilians. They move about by sliding on their bellies. In water, however, webbed feet and a well developed, laterally flattened tail makes them the quickest and most agile of their class. They feed almost exclusively on fish, but have been known on occasion to take small mammals.
Gavial (Gharial) range 
