Gharial
Gavialis gangeticus
— Where the name comes from
Gavialis is a mistaken latinisation of the Hindi ghariyal: the swollen tip of the male’s snout recalls the ghara, an earthenware pot. Gangeticus, “of the Ganges”, from the great river it inhabits. Its very long, slender snout makes it unmistakable among crocodilians.
— Facts
- Group
- Reptiles · Reptilia
- Order
- Crocodilians
- Habitat
- Large, deep, slow-moving rivers
- Range
- The river basins of the Indian subcontinent; reduced to a few populations
- Size
- 3.5–6 m, 160–250 kg
- Diet
- Fish eater — almost nothing but fish
- Lifespan
- 40–60 years
— Characteristics
- 01
The very thin snout, bristling with sharp teeth, snaps sideways like a trap to seize fish.
- 02
On land it is nearly helpless: the legs will not carry its weight, and it drags itself along.
- 03
The adult male develops the bulb at the tip of the snout that gives the species its name.
— What sets it apart
The gharial is the last of an ancient line: narrow-snouted, fish-specialised crocodilians were once many, and today it is almost alone, down to a few hundred adults in the wild. The slender snout is a precision instrument — it meets little resistance in water and snaps sideways in a flash — but it leaves the animal unfit for any prey that is not a fish. A perfect and fragile specialisation, which today makes it one of the most threatened large reptiles in the world.
