📷 (c) Fábio Olmos, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
📷 (c) Fábio Olmos, some rights reserved (CC BY)
📷 (c) Fábio Olmos, some rights reserved (CC BY)
IUCN: Critically Endangered
Gharial
Gavialis gangeticus
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassReptilia›OrderCrocodilia›FamilyGavialidae›GenusGavialis
About
The gharial is a long-snouted crocodilian specialized for catching fish in large rivers. Adult males develop a bulbous growth on the snout tip called a ghara, used in display and sound production. Dams, fishing nets, sand mining, and river pollution have left only fragmented breeding populations.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Deep, fast-flowing rivers with sandbanks
🍃Diet Mostly fish; juveniles also eat insects and small crustaceans
📏Size & Weight Body 3.5–6 m
•weight Females 160 kg; large males can exceed 900 kg
⏳Lifespan 40–60 years
🗺Range Fragmented river systems of India and Nepal
ReptileCrocodilian
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Deep, fast-flowing rivers with sandbanks
🍃Diet Mostly fish; juveniles also eat insects and small crustaceans
📏Size & Weight Body 3.5–6 m
•weight Females 160 kg; large males can exceed 900 kg
⏳Lifespan 40–60 years
🗺Range Fragmented river systems of India and Nepal
Photo Credits
#1(c) Fábio Olmos, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
#2(c) Fábio Olmos, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
#3(c) Fábio Olmos, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
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