Head to head
Slender-snouted Crocodile vs Gharial
Slender-snouted Crocodile
VS Gharial
The slender-snouted crocodile of Africa and the gharial of India are two fish-eating crocodilians with long, narrow snouts, both Critically Endangered.
| Slender-snouted Crocodile | Gharial | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Mecistops cataphractus | Gavialis gangeticus |
| Snout | A long, narrow snout rather like a gharial's, which sweeps sideways to snap up fish | Long, narrow, and lined with more than 100 interlocking needle teeth for gripping fish |
| Size | Can reach around 4 metres, though most are smaller | Males 3 to 6 metres and females 2.5 to 4.5 metres |
| Diet | Mostly fish, along with frogs, crustaceans, and the occasional bird or small mammal | Almost entirely fish, with juveniles also taking insects and frogs |
| Behaviour | Shy and secretive, hiding in dense forest streams and swamps and rarely seen | Cannot do the high walk of other crocodilians and pushes itself along on its belly, and the male buzzes and hisses with a bulbous snout-tip growth in courtship |
| Nesting | The female builds a mound nest of vegetation near the water and guards it | 20 to 95 eggs per clutch, the largest of any crocodilian, buried in a sandbank |
| Habitat and range | Rivers, forest streams, and swamps in West and Central Africa | Once across the northern Indian subcontinent, and now mainly the Chambal, Girwa, and a few other rivers in India and Nepal |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered, and decreasing | Critically Endangered |
Slender-snouted Crocodile vs Gharial: common questions
Is the slender-snouted crocodile a gharial?
No, it is a true crocodile that has a gharial-like snout, while the gharial belongs to its own family in India.
What is the bump on the gharial's snout?
A bulbous growth on the male's snout tip, which he uses to buzz, hiss, and blow bubbles in courtship.
Why is the slender-snouted crocodile threatened?
It is hunted for its meat and skin, and its forest wetlands are cleared and polluted.