• Care for Planet
    What We Do
    • Animal Welfare
    • Conservation Included
    • Sustainable Operations
    • Mandai Nature
    • MandaiX
    Get Involved
    • Animal Adoptions
    • Conservation Programmes
    • Education Programmes
    • Sustainability Initiatives
    • Legacy Giving
    • Volunteer With Us
    • Support Us
    Your Support Means a Lot Conservation Included
    Conservation Included
    You don’t need to do wild things to support wildlife—our revenue funds conservation in Singapore & Southeast Asia. Thank you for helping us help them!
  • Venues for Hire
    • Corporate Events
    • Social Events
    • Venues
    Host an Event in the WIld Events at Crimson Restaurant
    Events at Crimson Restaurant
    Host your event at this unique venue in the heart of Hong Leong Foundation Crimson Wetlands at Bird Paradise.
  • For Schools
    • Learning with Us
    • Action for Wildlife
    Latest Highlights Educational Resources
    Educational Resources
    Plan learning journeys with engaging programmes, educational resources, and school admission rates.
Mandai Wildlife Reserve
Buy Now
  • English
    • English
    • 简体中文
    • 日本語
    • 한국어
  •  Sign in
  • Hi,
    • My Membership
    • Update Profile
    • Logout
  • Search
  • Discover Mandai
    Wildlife Park
    Embark on an unforgettable adventure at our parks with diverse wildlife & nature-based experiences!
    Embark on an unforgettable adventure at our parks with diverse wildlife & nature-based experiences!
    • Singapore ZooSingapore Zoo
    • Bird ParadiseBird Paradise
    • Night SafariNight Safari
    • River WondersRiver Wonders
    • Rainforest Wild ASIARainforest Wild ASIA
    Free to Visit
    Explore our free-to-visit spaces with dining, shopping, lifestyle experiences, and activities for all!
    Explore our free-to-visit spaces with dining, shopping, lifestyle experiences, and activities for all!
    • Mandai Boardwalk
    • Mandai Wildlife EAST
    • Mandai Wildlife WEST
    Need Help With Planning Your Trip?
    Maps
    Getting Here & Around
    What's On
    • All Promotions
    • All Events
    Latest Highlights Rainforest Wild ASIA Admission Promo
    Rainforest Wild ASIA Admission Promo
    Roar into SG60 celebrations by visiting Rainforest Wild ASIA from just $24.
    Need Help With Planning Your Trip?
    Maps
    Getting Here & Around
  • Tickets & Passes
    Admission Tickets
    • Multi-Park Admission
    • Single Park Admission
    Wild About SG
    • Local Residents' Exclusive
    • WildPass Programme
    All Promotions
    All Promotions
    Latest Highights Singapore Zoo Admission Promo
    Singapore Zoo Admission Promo
    Roar into SG60 celebrations by visiting Singapore Zoo from just $25.
  • Plan Your Visit
    Visitor Guide
    • Getting Here & Around
    • Know Before You Go
    • FAQs
    • Parks Rules and Conditions
    Trip Planning Tools
    • Maps
    • Park Itineraries
    • Mandai App
    Latest Highlights Mandai App
    Mandai App
    Maximise your visit with our interactive wayfinding map, presentation reminders, suggested itineraries and more!
  • See & Do
    Explore
    Experience our destination through a variety of activities that will make your visit extra wild!
    Experience our destination through a variety of activities that will make your visit extra wild!
    • Meet Our Animals
    • Presentations
    • Animal Feeding
    • Keeper Talks
    • Treks & Trails
    • Trams & Boat Rides
    Play
    Spark a sense of wonder through up-close animal encounters and interactive play.
    Spark a sense of wonder through up-close animal encounters and interactive play.
    • Kids' Play
    • Animal Interactions
    • Adventure+
    • ZooSchool  
    Immerse
    Be guided through our most popular exhibits and gain insights into how we care for our animals.
    Be guided through our most popular exhibits and gain insights into how we care for our animals.
    • Signature Tours
    • Backstage Pass Tours
    • Keeper for a Day
    • Black Adventures
    All Activities
    All Activities
    Latest Highlights Black Adventure at Rainforest Wild ASIA
    Black Adventure at Rainforest Wild ASIA
    Choose your wild and elevate your adventure across the rainforest with exciting experiences for all ages.
  • Dine & Shop
    Dine
    • Dining Outlets
    • Wild Dining Experiences
    Shop
    • Shopping Outlets
    • Photo Pass
    • Choose Sustainable
    • Mandai Upcycle
    • Shop Online  
    All Dine & Shop Promotions
    • All Shopping Promotions
    All Dine & Shop Promotions
    Latest Highlights Dining With A View
    Dining With A View
    Dine at Crimson Restaurant, with stunning views of birds and the tallest waterfall at Bird Paradise. 
  • Stay
    • Mandai Rainforest Resort  
    • Colugo Camp
    Exclusive Resort Bundles Wild Adventure Stay Package
    Wild Adventure Stay Package
    Stay at Mandai Rainforest Resort and explore any of four wildlife parks for the ultimate nature and wildlife experience.
  • Memberships
    Be a Member
    • Annual Memberships
    • Benefits & Privileges
    For Existing Members
    • Friends of Wildlife Memberships
    • Birthday Privileges
    • Renew Membership
    • Membership Help Centre
    Enjoy exclusive privileges at Mandai Wildlife Reserve
    Member Events & Promotions
    Sign Up Now Be A Friend of Mandai
    Be A Friend of Mandai
    Enjoy all wildlife parks* year-round from $275. Teens (13–17) enjoy child rates. Start your conservation journey today!
    Enjoy exclusive privileges at Mandai Wildlife Reserve
    Member Events & Promotions
  • Care for Planet
    What We Do
    • Animal Welfare
    • Conservation Included
    • Sustainable Operations
    • Mandai Nature
    • MandaiX
    Get Involved
    • Animal Adoptions
    • Conservation Programmes
    • Education Programmes
    • Sustainability Initiatives
    • Legacy Giving
    • Volunteer With Us
    • Support Us
    Your Support Means a Lot Conservation Included
    Conservation Included
    You don’t need to do wild things to support wildlife—our revenue funds conservation in Singapore & Southeast Asia. Thank you for helping us help them!
  • Venues for Hire
    • Corporate Events
    • Social Events
    • Venues
    Host an Event in the WIld Events at Crimson Restaurant
    Events at Crimson Restaurant
    Host your event at this unique venue in the heart of Hong Leong Foundation Crimson Wetlands at Bird Paradise.
  • For Schools
    • Learning with Us
    • Action for Wildlife
    Latest Highlights Educational Resources
    Educational Resources
    Plan learning journeys with engaging programmes, educational resources, and school admission rates.
  • Buy Now
English
  • English
  • 简体中文
  • 日本語
  • 한국어
Search
icon

You're now logged out!

  • Singapore Zoo
  • Animals & Zones
  • Indian Gharial

Indian gharial

Find me in
Reptile Kingdom
  • Quick Facts
  • Get to Know
  • Protecting Wildlife
  • You Might Also Like

Quick facts

Lifespan

LifespanUp to 100 years

fruits

DietFish

Habitat

HabitatFreshwater

range

RangeIndia, Nepal, Bangladesh. Regionally extinct in Myanmar and Pakistan

The Indian gharials

Feeding and maintenance

Endangered crocodilian

The Indian gharial is related to crocodiles and alligators. A critically endangered species, it used to occur in the rivers of Pakistan and Myanmar. Today, it is estimated that fewer than 200 Indian gharials are left in the wild, mostly in India, and a small number in Nepal and Bangladesh.
The gharial’s ghara

The gharial’s ghara

The gharial gets its name from its ‘ghara’, which means `pot’ in Hindi. This is a bulbous growth on the tip of the male’s snout with a cartilaginous lid on the nostrils that flaps during exhalation. The ghara amplifies the male’s hissing calls to attract females, making them audible from almost a kilometre away. Unfortunately, few mature males are now observed in the wild. Though gharials nest annually, some females in India were found to be nesting much less frequently.
Gharial guardians

Gharial guardians

Females lay their eggs in nests dug into sandy riverbanks. Though they remain in the water in the day, they visit and guard the eggs at night, throughout the incubation period of 60-80 days. They get very territorial near the nest, but will tolerate other females nesting nearby. The mother, sometimes the father as well, may help uncover the nest during hatching. Due to their unique snout and teeth, they may not be able to help their babies hatch or pick them up.
Care of the young

Care of the young

Mothers will protect hatchlings for several weeks or months. During this time, the hatchlings hang around in groups near their mother. The presence of the father may be tolerated, but he will not actively protect hatchlings. The young may sometimes rest on his back. Often, the rising waters of the monsoon prompt the separation of mother and young. The juveniles are washed downriver, away from their mother’s protection. Sadly, many young gharials do not survive this.
Banking on the sand

Banking on the sand

Large-scale sand mining for construction degrade the sand banks on which the gharials nest. Dams and irrigation diversions have resulted in perennial rivers drying up. Unlike other crocodilians, the gharial can’t walk overland to find other water sources. During the dry months, when gharials breed, riparian people, among the poorest in India, plant crops and herd livestock along the river, competing with the gharials for precious riverine real estate.

Together, we protect wildlife

Dramatic decline

Dramatic decline

In the span of 60 years, their population has plummeted 98%. Since the 1970s, much money and effort have been spent on the reintroduction of gharials, with scant success. Besides the gharial, other freshwater species like the Ganges river dolphin, mugger crocodile, and mahseer are also on the decline.

The IUCN Status

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

Special Experiences

/content/dam/mandai/singapore-zoo/things-to-do/keeper-talks/indian-gharial-keeper-talk.jpg

Indian Gharial Keeper Talk

Tue & Fri Sungei Buaya 2:30pm

Learn more about our wildlife from the people who know best — the keepers. In this interactive session, hear interesting quirks of the Indian gharials from our keepers.

You might also like

The Wild Scoop
The Wild Scoop
Wild Africa
Wild Africa
Malayan tiger
Malayan tiger
Banner image Banner image mobile

Every visit to our parks comes with

Conservation Included

Find out how, together, we're creating a better future for wildlife and the planet.

Awards & Accolades

  • Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) - Destination
  • 2024 싱가포르 관광상

Connect With Us

  • TikTok qr-code
  • Rednote logo default Rednote logo hover
    Rednote qr-code
  • WeChat qr-code
  • Douyin qr-code

About

  • Mandai Wildlife Group
  • The Mandai Family
  • Care for Planet
  • Media Centre
  • Awards & Accolades
  • Careers

Doing Business With Us

  • Venues for Hire
  • Partnerships
  • Corporate Memberships

For Schools

  • Learning With Us

Help & Support

  • Announcements
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Getting Here & Around

Awards & Accolades

  • Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) - Destination
  • 2024 싱가포르 관광상

© Copyright 2025, Mandai Wildlife Group. All Rights Reserved.

Mandai Park Holdings Pte. Ltd. and its subsidiaries, related companies and affiliates (collectively “Mandai Wildlife Group” or “MWG”) own the names, logos, typefaces, graphic devices, images, design and illustrated elements, drawings, videos or photos (“Brand Assets”) as set out on this webpage and in all brand guidelines.

  • Parks Rules and Conditions
  • Terms of Use
  • Personal Data Protection Policy