Woo hoo, it’s that time again this week for fun fact Friday! A fun fact a week keeps the foolishness away. Today’s topic is gharial (Gavialis gangeticus).

This species is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on IUCN Red List and on Appendix I of CITES. The major threats to this species are habitat loss and degradation due to dam construction and irrigation, and fishing which removes their diet resource and can accidentally kills them. Now here are 5 fun facts you probably didn’t know about Gavialis gangeticus:

1. Gharial is the only extant species from the family Gavialidae. They are closely related to false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) which is a member of the family Crocodylidae.

2. Their name, gharial, derives from the word ‘ghara’ which means Indian pot, a shape that resembles the male gharial nose’s shape.

3. Among other crocodilian species, gharial is the biggest and the longest, measuring up to 6 m. They also have the narrowest snout which enables them to snatch fish underwater quickly.

4. Their weak legs are not able to support their body weight when they walk on land. This becomes a problem during dry season because unlike any other crocodilian species, gharial cannot walk far to find water.

5. Mother gharial does not transport their youngs in the mouth, but they stay together up to several months.