False Gharial Crocodile Skull Replica

Description

False gharial crocodile skull replica measures 19.5 x 8.0  x 5.0 inches. The false gharial skull is a museum-quality polyurethane resin cast of original specimen. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA.

False gharial is also known as the gavial, and fish-eating crocodile is a crocodilian in the family Gavialidae, native to sandy freshwater river banks in the plains of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent.

False gharial snout is very long and narrow, with 27 to 29 upper and 25 or 26 lower teeth on each side. The front teeth are the largest. The first, second, and third mandibular teeth fit into notches in the upper jaw. The nasal bones are rather short and widely separated from the premaxilla.

The nasal opening is smaller than the supratemporal fossae. The jugal bone is raised and the extremely long symphysis extends to the 23rd or 24th tooth. The snout is dilated at the end. It becomes proportionally thicker with age. The long, needle like teeth are individually socketed.

False gharial is dark reddish-brown above with dark brown or black spots and cross-bands on the back and tail. Ventrals are grayish white, with some lateral dark mottling.

Juveniles are mottled with black on the sides of the jaws, body, and tail. The smooth and unornamented snout is extremely long and slender, parallel sided, with a length of 3.0 to 3.5 times the width at the base. All teeth are long and needle-like, interlocking on the insides of the jaws, and are individually socketed.

False gharial has one of the slimmest snouts of any living crocodilian, perhaps comparable to the slender-snouted crocodile and the freshwater crocodile in the extent of slenderness, only that of the gharial is noticeably more slim. The false gharial is a large crocodilian.

In addition to fish and smaller aquatic animals, mature adults prey on larger vertebrates, including proboscis monkeys, long tailed macaques, deer, water birds, and reptiles.

Scientific classification:

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Reptilia
• Clade: Archosauria
• Order: Crocodilia
• Family: Gavialidae
• Subfamily: Tomistominae
• Genus: Tomistoma Müller, 1846
• Species: T. schlegelii
• Binomial name: Tomistoma schlegelii (Müller, 1838)
• Temporal range: Late Pleistocene – Recent 0.1–0 Ma
• Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN 3.1)

If you find this replica interesting, you may also like our West African slender-snouted crocodile, nile crocodile, or the American crocodile. Shop for more museum-quality replicas in our reptile replica store.