“Now found only in India and Nepal, these crocodile relatives once inhabited over 30,000 square miles of South Asian rivers. Due to habitat loss, poaching, and accidental fishing deaths, the species’ population shrunk from 10,000 animals in 1946 to fewer than 250 adults in 2006, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The gharial gets its name from the male’s bulbous snout, which resembles an earthen pot called a gharia.

In an effort to save the unique animal, the Indian government and nonprofits launched targeted conservation efforts, including captive breeding and monitoring of nesting gharials. Such initiatives have boosted the wild population of mature individuals to about 650, according to the IUCN.”

From National Geographic.