Gharial
Gharials (or Gavialis gangeticus) are a crocodilian native to the rivers of the Indian subcontinent, surviving in just four stretches of river in Nepal and Northern India. They are also known as gavials or fish-eating crocodiles.
Gharials have long, thin jaws adapted for eating fish, and are almost entirely aquatic. Unlike other crocodiles, they have weak legs and are poor movers on land, but they are extremely agile in deep water due to their long, flattened, muscular tail. Males have a distinctive bulbous swelling on the end of the nose, which is used to make sounds that attract females and intimidate males during the mating season.
Apart from this difference, the species is also dimorphic in size, with males growing 3m to over 6m long. Females are smaller and lighter, at 2.6m to 4.5m long. The average weight of adults is 150kg to 250kg, very large males may reach weights of over 600kg.
Gavialis gangeticus
Habitat needs
Space is stored as a minimum plus an amount per additional adult; the game's help adds that juveniles don't count. Plan a mixed habitat in the habitat planner.
Dislikes snow.
Terrain
| Terrain | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Short Grass | 0% | 40% |
| Sand | 40% | 100% |
| Soil | 0% | 60% |
| Rock | 0% | 20% |
| Waterlogged | 0% | 100% |
Share of the habitat's terrain.
Barriers with resistance grade 2 or higher 14
- 1-Way Glass grade 2 · $1
- Chain Link grade 2 · $1 · climbable
- Corrugated grade 2 · $1
- Rope Netting grade 2 · $2 · climbable
- Glass grade 3 · $2
- Wire Netting grade 3 · $2 · climbable
- Wood Logs grade 3 · $2 · climbable
- Acrylic grade 4 · $3
- Steel Mesh grade 4 · $3 · climbable
- Thick Glass grade 4 · $3
- Brick grade 5 · $4
- Concrete grade 5 · $4
- Gabion grade 5 · $4 · climbable
- Electric grade 6 · $0.80
At least 1 m high. No water barrier. Grades are the ones the game's barrier tooltips state.
Enrichment it uses 7
- Platform Floats Toy · score 150 · $200
- Rubbing Pad Toy · score 100 · $100
- Small Bubble Machine Toy · score 150 · $100
- Rubbing Pad Bark Toy · score 100 · $100
- Small Ball Toy · score 100 · $100
- Mud Bath Toy · score 150
- Rubber Duck Toy · score 50 · $100
Enrichment target: toys 100 + 60 per additional adult; feeders 10 + 2 per additional adult.
Food, life and breeding
- Food
- Small Whole Fish + Freshwater Crustaceans
- Food / drink amount
- 3 / 10
- Food cost, grade 1 / 2 / 3
- $489 / $691 / $691
- Feeders
- Food Tray - Large, Food Tray - Small, Block of Frozen Fish, Aquatic Feeder - Fish, Bamboo Feeder
- Lifespan
- 30–65 yr
- Mature / prime / old / elderly
- 16 yr / 19 yr / 24 yr / 50 yr
- Gestation / between births
- 0.167 yr / 0.833 yr
- Litter
- 2–9
- Fertility
- 0.2
- Mating system
- Polygynous
- Breeds in
- Winter
- Nest
- Buried
- Dominance
- Male dominance over breeding sites
- Wild population
- 650
- Guests flee if it escapes
- Yes
While gharials may live in close contact with each other – as well as compete for sandy riverbanks to use as basking sites – they are not social animals. Despite this, they are unlikely to fight, although competing males may 'buzz' at each other in intimidation using their snout bulbs. During the breeding season, many females may be living in close proximity as they guard the eggs they have laid in the sand banks.
Overview
- Scientific name
- Gavialis gangeticus
- Class
- Reptilia
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered
- Biome
- Tropical, Wetlands, Lakes and Rivers
- Continent
- Asia
- Content
- Base game