Gharials, also known as gavials, belong to the Gavialidae family

Transcription

Gharials, also known as gavials, belong to the Gavialidae family
Gharials
Gharials, also known as gavials, belong to the Gavialidae family.
There is only one species of gharial worldwide and it is found in
deep, fast moving river waters in India.
They feed on fish and scavenge dead
animals. They are un-able to eat large
prey due to their thin, fragile jaws. The
snout shape varies with the age of the
gharial, becoming thinner as the gharial
ages. The bulbous growth on the tip
of the male’s snout is called a “ghara”,
from the Indian word meaning “pot”.
The average gharial is 13 to 15 feet long, though some exceed 20
feet in length. The IUCN lists them as Critically Endangered.