This Is The Largest Crocodilianspecies

The Gharial is one of the largest crocodilianspecies. They are between 4 and 6 m (13 - 19.7 ft) in length and they can weigh up to 450 kgs (1,000 lbs). They have a life expectancy in the wild of 40 - 60 years.

Gharial are large and slender with a distinctive narrow snout. The snout shape varies depending on the age of the animal - it becomes longer and thinner as they get older. Males have a bulbous growth, known as a ghara, on the end of their snout and this produces bubbles and sounds during courtship. They have extremely sharp teeth with there being 54 - 58 on their upper jaw and 50 - 52 on their lower jaw.

Gharial are grey/olive in colour with youngsters being paler. Their tail is laterally flattened and they have broadly webbed feet which enables them to be extremely agile and quick when in the water. Their legs are relatively weak and they cannot move well on land. They tend to slide along on their belly as their legs are not strong enough to raise their body off the ground and achieve a high-walk gait.

Well most of them eat any old bobbins; the gharial has had plenty of time to evolve into something much more sophisticated since then. No he doesn’t have an impeccable knowledge of the wines of Bordeaux and he is said to be awful at the Charleston…. he has actually evolved into a remarkably sophisticated fish eater.

Up to six and a half meters long, he is not a wee chap this most aquatic of the crocodilians… what’s more he is really rather suited to the wet stuff. Not surprising then he eats fish, too fast for most crocs, but not for the gharial. That is why he has this huge long thin snout, rammed full of razor sharp teeth. He lies in wait with these toothy swords ajar and when a fishy dishy pops by… snap! The gharial is much faster than his lunking great cousins too, helped by the thin snout which cuts through the water like an oar on its side. If his snappy trap isn’t working he’ll use his flat paddle like tail to slip through the streams, or to whack unsuspecting fish on to the riverbank to scrobble down on.

The male has a ‘pot’ or ‘ghara’ at the end of the snout which grows with maturity. It is used to make hissing noises and apparently is used to blow bubbles which the fillies find quite delightful.