The gharial is second only to the crocodile in terms of size (they've been known to reach more than 20 feet!). They are found in India and her immediate neighbors. They live in river waters and use that narrow snout to snatch passing fish.
Gharial legs aren't strong enough to lift their bodies off the ground when they walk, so the most they can accomplish is a belly slide. But don't feel bad little gharial, I'm forced to do the same thing when I leave the buffet line.
Photo source: Knuttz.net
The recent Attenborough series on reptiles had some lovely shots of these, snouts in the air, looking more eerily prehistoric than your average croc.
ReplyDeleteGeisha did not bind their feet. They were Japanese, not Chinese. And yes, I am nitpicky, but I'm Japanese so it bugged me.
ReplyDeleteI fixed it, g3. Sorry about that.
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Well, this snout certainly comes in handy to catch fish, especially with those crooked teeth. I think if it had flippers instead of feet, it would even more look like some prehistoric beastie.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know they couldn't walk, but looking at their legs, they do seem kinda... girly. If croc's can have girly legs. I do agree with simone, though. If these things suddenly changed from legs to flippers, they look much more prehistoric (and awesome).
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