AnimalvsAnimal
Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) male, Chambal River, UP, India🐊

Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0

SpeciesGavialidae
Reptiles

🐊Gharial

Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789)

Der Gangesgavial, auch Gharial oder Echter Gavial (Gavialis gangeticus), ist der einzige heute noch lebende (rezente) Vertreter der Gattung Gavialis innerhalb der Krokodile (Crocodylia). Die heute nur noch in Nepal und im Norden Indiens lebenden Populationen sind stark bedroht (critically endangered) und daher auf der Roten Liste gefährdeter Arten der Weltnaturschutzunion IUCN aufgeführt.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Videos
25
Photos
6
Measurements
9
vs you
≈ 2.5× your weight
Also called
Gavial, Fish-eating Crocodile, Indian Gavial, Indian Gharial, Long-nosed Crocodile
Conservation status
CRCritically endangered

IUCN Red List assessment, 2019.

Population trendIncreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
153 kg
Body length
6 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
59 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Gharial

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
153 kgrecord 806 kg · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Body length
6 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Maximum lifespan
59 yearsrecord 100 years · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Gestation
70 days
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Diet
Carnivorous
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Activity cycle
Diurnal
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Foraging mode
ACT
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Venomous
No
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Volume l
153 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Gharial yet: shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›classCrocodylia
  4. ›familyGavialidae
  5. ›genusGavialis
  6. ›speciesGavialis gangeticus
Full lineage
  1. orderSauria
  2. familyGavialidae
  3. subfamilyGavialinae
  4. genusGavialis
All 11 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassSarcopterygii
  7. superclassTetrapoda
  8. orderSauria
  9. familyGavialidae
  10. subfamilyGavialinae
  11. genusGavialis
More

More about the Gharial

In other languages
Gavial del Ganges (es), Gavial du Gange (fr), gawial gangesowy (pl), Gaviale (it), индийски гавиал (bg), gavial (ca) … and 28 more languages
More photos
Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) male, Chambal River, UP, IndiaCrocodileഉരഗവർഗ്ഗത്തിൽപ്പെടുന്ന ശീതരക്തമുള്ള ഒരു ജീവിയാണ് മുതല (Crocodile).
All 6 photos in the gallery →

Tiere vor der Kamera

Echtes Filmmaterial von den Tieren dieser Website – beim Jagen, beim Kämpfen und beim ganz normalen Alltag.

Alle 25 Videos ansehen →
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Scaling lab

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Tree of life

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