Hey 
Wild Fact Fans, Seth here with the new Friday Feature creature. Don’t forget to please like 
, share and comment 
questions 
down below 
If you have any on this weeks animal ^^ or any creature you’d like me to do a post on in the future
This weeks feature creature is an almost gentle giant amongst its ancient clan of carnivorous reptiles cousins; that roams the rivers and lakes of India 
. With its long thin snout ; needle like teeth, huge body, spread out legs, and powerful tail all attached to a massive armored body; this beautiful creature peacefully lives its life hunting fish 
and watching over its young in the warmth of tropical 
sun 
where it calls home; living its life as best it can despite the pressure of people as theyre pushed to neat extinction ; despite the fact they rarely would ever harm anything as big as a fish .
This weeks feature creature is the Indian Gharial 
1. Measuring in at 23ft long and weighing in at 353 to 397lbs; theyre one of the largest crocodilians around. They can live to be 60 years old
2. Despite being crocodilians; Gharials are not extremely aggressive; as their long, thin jaws are ill-suited for attacking large animals. Mainly theyd use their tail to protect themselves , their body armor, and hiding in water to protect themselves from bigger Crocodiles and possibly Tigers 
3. This species split from crocodilians millions of years ago from ocean 
dwelling species designed for swimming 
in open waters. This trait is still shown today as adult Gharials are unable to walk on land very well due to their weak legs 
; causing them to slide on their bellies. They mainly come to land to lay eggs 
, help digest food 
, or to warm up on the bank; where they can lighten & darken their skin to help with temp 
4. While not very agile on land; theyre as agile as the fish they hunt in the water 
. Gharials can move at 18mph thanks to their webbed feet 
& large paddle like tails
5. Also known as the Gavial; Gharials are named after the fleshy growth that males have on their snout 
with resembles an Indian clay pot called a ‘”Ghara”. Males around 10 years old use them to help make sounds 
& bubbles 
to help attract mates. Their Ghara growth actually makes the Indian Gharial the only crocodile species that show “sexual dimorphism”
6. When their mouth is closed, many of their teeth remain visible because the jaw is not designed to fully enclose them. They have a good bite force of 200 lbs and can strike on 1/5th of a second.
7. They have salt excreting glands on their tongues 
to help them tolerate salty environment
8. With their thin 3.5ft long jaws filled with 104 to 110 needle sharp teeth 
(the most of any crocodile !), they can move their heads swiftly thru the water with ease to catch their prey whether day or night. contain sensory cells that detect vibrations in the water, making them excellent fish hunters. Along with fish ; they’ll also eat frogs 
, crustaceans 
, small turtles 
, small birds 
and extremely rarely small land mammals like monkeys 
, dogs 
and even goats 
!
9. Even though they wont go after living people; gharial will eat carrion 
including people 
.there have been documented instances of gharials feeding on human corpses 
set afloat in funeral 
ceremonies on the Ganges river!
10. After mating, females will travel around 124 miles upstream to find a place to lay around 40 to sometimes 97 eggs the size of baseballs 
in nests 
they make in the sand (the most eggs & largest eggs of any crocodilian!!)
11. When their babies hatch in around nearly 3 months time ; theyre cant carry them in their mouths like other crocs do; so they mainly nudged them in the right direction. The mother, other females with hatchling & sometimes young males will help care over them till the monsoon 
season in big harems; letting them ride on their backs.
12. Hatchlings mainly eat insects 
, frogs , small fish , and crustaceans 
. In 8 to 10 years for females & 11 to 13 years for males ; they’ll reach full size and go after larger food & be safe from predators.
13. Indian gharial hatchlings have many predators such as jackals , striped hyenas, leopards 
c birds of prey 
, monitor lizards 
, snakes 
, wild boars 
, & mongooses. Rats 
will go after their eggs
14. Along with over fishing 
; hunting and pollution are the main reasons why this species is so endangered 
Next weeks feature creature hint 
: this bird is way larger than a turkey 
; the largest in all the new world 
; and is way faster 
than a Roadrunnerm
