General Information  
The mating season for gharials occurs in January and February when the adult males begin fighting one another to establish and defend territories in shallow water. After mating, females lay her eggs between March and May. Each female becomes territorial, guarding her specific nest sites from other females. They dig a hole in the sand, lay her eggs inside and carefully cover them. Smaller females may lay as few as a dozen eggs, while larger ones can lay nearly 100 eggs. The eggs hatch after 53 to 92 days and the temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings. Warmer nests produce more males, while cooler nests yield more females. The mother gharial provides food to their young, who stay close to her until they are large enough to protect themselves from predators. Gharials reach reproductive maturity at around ten years of age. At this point, males develop a lump-like structure on their snouts, which distinguishes them from females, as the sexes are otherwise indistinguishable at a young age. Unlike other alligators and crocodiles, gharials are social animals and live together in groups. They prefer deep, clear, fast-flowing rivers but are occasionally observed in still water branches of rivers. Gharials spend most of their time coming ashore to bask. They also exhibit significant site fidelity, often returning to the same locations.  

Threats
- Alteration and destruction of habitat.
- Hunting for traditional medicine.
- Harvesting of eggs and poaching.
- Depletion of prey base due to increased intensity of fishing.
- Young gharials are susceptible to being caught in fishing nets.