The crocodile with a clay pot on its nose that blows bubbles
This crocodile grows a pot on the end of its nose and uses it to blow bubbles.
Which one is REALLY true about the Gharial?
The short version
The gharial is a river crocodilian from India and Nepal with an extremely long, thin snout packed with over a hundred interlocking teeth, swiped sideways to catch fish. Adult males grow a bulbous 'ghara' on the snout tip — named after an Indian clay pot — used to buzz and blow bubbles at females. So water-adapted its legs can't lift it, so it belly-slides on land.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Gharial swipes its long thin snout sideways through the water like a pair of tongs to snatch fish.
- ✓The Gharial has over a hundred interlocking teeth packed into that narrow snout.
- ✓The Gharial is named for the ghara, a bulbous lump that grows on the snout tip of adult males, named after an Indian clay pot.
- ✓The Gharial uses that ghara to make a loud buzzing call and to blow bubbles at females during courtship.
- ✓The Gharial is so specialised for water that its legs cannot really lift it, so on land it slides along on its belly.
The Gharial is about 3.7× as long as a 7-year-old! 🤯
The full story
This crocodile grows a strange pot on the end of its nose, and uses it to blow bubbles. Meet the gharial, a river crocodilian from India and Nepal with a snout so long and thin it looks almost fake. That narrow snout is packed with over a hundred interlocking teeth, and it works like a pair of tongs, swiping sideways through the water to snatch fish. Adult males grow a bulbous lump on the tip called a ghara, named after an Indian clay pot. He uses it to make a loud buzzing call, and to blow bubbles at females during courtship. Gharials are so specialized for water that their legs cannot really lift them, so on land they simply slide along on their bellies. Sadly, only a few hundred adults now remain. Follow for more weird animal facts.
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“The Gharial swipes its long thin snout sideways through the water like a pair of tongs to snatch fish.”
“The Gharial is a deep-sea relative of the little pill bugs you find under garden rocks.”
“The Gharial has over a hundred interlocking teeth packed into that narrow snout.”