Gharial Crocodile

Characteristics
As do all large crocodilians, the gharial starts out life fairly small. Hatchlings measure approximately 37 cm (15 in) long . Young gharials can reach a length of 1 m (3.3 ft) in eighteen months. The average body weight of the species is from 159 to 250 kg (350 to 550 lb). Males commonly attain a total length of 3 to 5 m (9.8 to 16 ft), while females are smaller and reach a body length of up to 2.7 to 3.75 m (8.9 to 12.3 ft).
The three largest examples reported were a 6.5 m (21 ft) gharial killed in the Gogra River of Faizabad in August 1920; a 6.3 m (21 ft) individual shot in the Cheko River of Jalpaiguri in 1934; and a giant of 7 m (23 ft), which was shot in the Kosi River of northern Bihar in January 1924. Such exceptionally larger specimens can scale up to 977 kg (2,150 lb) in mass. While specimens of over 6 m (20 ft) were not uncommon in the past, such large individuals are not known to exist today. Gharials are exceeded in length only by the saltwater crocodile.