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Name : Gharial ( Gavialis gangeticus )
Where it lives : fresh water river in India and Nepal
Gharials split from other crocodilian species over 40 million years ago.
What it feed : Fish . Juveniles also use up insects , anuran and crustaceans .
Why it ’s amazing : The gharial is known for its long , tightly fitting neb , which looks like it got thrash in a door .
An adult male has a " ghara " at the death of its nozzle : a lightbulb - form prominence , named after a bulbous Amerind pot . This bizarre hunk looks attractive to females and helps male court their mates by blowing bubble and creating a strange sexual love birdcall .
Unlike other crocs, gharials aren’t ambush predators, instead using their long snouts to snatch fish from the water and gobble them down.
This ghara " partly covers the crocodile ’s nostrils and playact as a vocal resonator , creating a loud , buzz strait when the gharial vocalizes , " according toSmithsonian ’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute .
If these crocodilian pickup line are successful and the male appeal a female — or several , as gharials are polygamous — the duet mate . This usually happens in December or January . In March or April , when the teetotal time of year go far , females compass nests and lay around 40 ball .
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These large testis are the biggest of all crocodilian ball . weigh up to 6 ounces ( 170 grams ) , they ’re about the same weightiness as ahockey puck . Once fully maturate , adult can reach15 feet(4.5 meters ) and , on average , matter around 350 pounds(160 kilograms ) .
" As with all crocodilian , the sexual urge of the hatchlings is regulate during incubation , " according to Smithsonian . Incubation can take between 60 and 80 mean solar day . Babies abide with their mother for several weeks , or sometimes calendar month , after hatching .
Although they look likecrocodiles or alligator , gharials cleave off from other crocodilian species over40 million long time ago .
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Unlike crocs and alligator , gharials do n’t ambush their prey . rather , swiping their schnozzle from left to rightallows them to notice vibrations in the water . Using this method , they find nearbyfishand chomp on them with their interlocking teeth .
These animals are well - conform to watery habitats but ca n’t move well on acres because theirleg brawniness are too weak , so they skid on their bellies to get around above water .
Gharials were once plentiful between Pakistan and Myanmar , with an estimated5,000 to 10,000individuals in the state of nature in the 1940s . They are nowcritically endangeredas a result of hunt , fishing and home ground loss , with around 650 mature individuals left . Captive breeding , nest monitoring and other conservation activities aid hike this identification number from around 250 in 2006 .
