Gharial

Gharial
インドガビアル
Character Data
Romaji		Indogabiaru
Debut		Kemono Friends (2015 Game)
Animal Data
Scientific Name		Gavialis gangeticus
Distribution		Indian subcontinent, Nepal, Pakistan
Diet		Carnivore
Avg. Lifespan		40—60 years
Read More		Gharial
Conservation

Gharial

Nexon Game

The Gharial is a crocodilian Friend that appeared in the original Kemono Friends mobile game.

Appearance

Gharial has short muddy-green hair with two braids and a short ponytail, with franges that fade into a paler green. In homage to the gharial's native India, the Gharial Friend has the Hinduist tilaka mark on her forehead. She wears a short-sleeved black outfit under an orange and green sari decorated with embroidered plants. Finally, she sports orange moccasins on her feet and a pair of golden bracelets around her wrists and heels, and a matching gold necklace. Like the real animal, she bears a large muddy-green tail.

She carries an orange staff with a green-gray end resembling a gharial's head; in the Nexon game, she can be seen making its jaws open and shut.

Series Appearances

Appearances In Kemono Friends Media

Media		Role
2015	Nexon Game	↪ Minor character, playable

In Real Life

Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a large and distinctive crocodilian found in the Indian subcontinent and neighboring Nepal, with a small but growing population in Pakistan. The species is characterized by its slender, elongated snout, which in mature males is adorned at the end by a bulbous growth—called a “ghara” after the Indian word meaning “pot", and from which the species derives its common name. They are

The gharial is highly adapted to an aquatic lifestyle, and spends the majority of its time in the water. Its slender snout helps it to minimize water resistance when moving or turning its head through the water, and their powerful, laterally-flattened tails make them strong swimmers. They are also known for their many interlocking, needle-like teeth, which are excellent for catching and holding onto slippery fish: the bulk of the gharial's diet. There are several hunting strategies observed among gharials; for example, the "sit-and wait-approach" has the gharial stay motionless while floating almost or completely submerged, snatching any prey that wanders near with their nimble jaws; this tactic is commonly seen in aquatic ambush hunters. Meanwhile, the "sweeping search" employs a sensory organ in the animal's scales which allows it to sense vibrations in the water, slowly feeling through the water for prey as it swims.

Indian gharials live in clear freshwater rivers with fast flowing currents, and may congregate at sections of river where the water is deep and the current is gentler, such as at bends. Consequent of its highly aquatic lifestyle and adaptations, the gharial is unable to raise its body and “high walk” for terrestrial locomotion, unlike other crocodilians; when moving on land, they are forced to sluggishly drag their bodies across the ground. Gharials seldom leave the water outside of basking and nesting, dragging themselves onto river banks as needed and rarely straying far from the water. Like other crocodilians, the gharial is cold-blooded and spends a lot of time basking in the sun near water, spending additional time basking in the winter when temperatures drop. Individuals tend to revisit the same basking spots. Like other crocodilians, Indian gharials also "gape" during basking, leaving their jaws wide open at 10–20 minute intervals to cool the blood running through their mouths and dissipate excess heat. On very hot days, gharials may completely submerge their bodies, leaving only their heads out of the water at a 20–30 degree angle.

Despite its immense size, the gharial's specialized jaws make it physically incapable of devouring any large mammal, including humans; while this does not mean that an adult gharial is not a threat to a human, they do not pose the same risk that crocodilians such as the saltwater or Nile crocodile do. Meanwhile, humans are by far the greatest threat to the gharial, with human activities altering, polluting and destroying the riparian habitats upon which gharials rely; specialists such as gharials can be at increased risk from such issues. The modern range of the gharial is much smaller than its historic range was, and in the 1970s the species approached the brink of extinction, even now remaining critically endangered. While conservation efforts are ongoing, such as captive breeding programs courtesy of the National Chambal Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh and the Gharial Breeding Centre in Nepal's Chitwan National Park—where the eggs are hatched and hatchlings are reared for two to three years before being released—populations will continue to be threatened by issues such as climate change and human expansion. Further reading can be found via the Gharial Conservation Alliance's official website.

Trivia

Gharial at Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam

• The male gharial utilizes its ghara to modify hisses snorted through the underlying nostrils. The resultant sound can be heard for nearly a kilometer on a still day.

References

1. Whitaker, R.; Members of the Gharial Multi-Task Force; Madras Crocodile Bank (2007). "The Gharial: Going Extinct Again" (PDF). Volume. 14