 White-winged wood duck ("Cairina scutulata"), an endangered species of forest duck, and the sarus crane ("Grus antigone") are native to the Shweli river.The gharial ("Gavialis gangeticus"), a crocodilian, was last spotted in 1927.The Irrawaddy dolphin has been known to reach the upper tributaries of the Ayeyarwady including the Shweli.