Ganges gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)

The Ganges gharial is the only surviving representative of the Gavialidae family and is at risk of becoming extinct. This threatened status is due to the fact that their eggs are traded as a delicacy, but first and foremost it is because their natural habitat – the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra rivers – are today densely populated. Consequently, there are hardly any quiet sandbanks left on these mighty lowland rivers where the Ganges gharial can hunt for fish.