Gharial

Gavialis gangeticus · The gharial is a long-snouted, fish-eating crocodilian that lives in rivers in the plains of the northern Indian subcontinent.

Also called Gavial, Fish-eating crocodile, Indian Gavial, Indian Gharial, Long-nosed Crocodile.

Gharial
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Gharial
Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0
Gharial
Photo: Anuppanthi, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderCrocodilia
FamilyGavialidae
GenusGavialis
SpeciesGavialis gangeticus

Where it lives

Sandy rivers of northern India and Nepal.

Fun facts

  • Adult male gharials grow a hollow bump on the snout that looks like a clay pot, called a ghara, and it gave the animal its name.
  • A male gharial's pot-shaped snout bump lets him make a hissing sound that can be heard 75 meters away, which is thought to attract females.
  • Gharials don't chew their food. They swallow fish whole, and they also swallow stones, perhaps to help digestion or control buoyancy.
  • Gharial eggs are the largest of any crocodilian, weighing an average of 160 grams each.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).