Why This Reptile Sounds Like It’s Snoring While Awake

A gharial is a peculiar creature with a slender snout reminiscent of a swordfish, bulging eyes similar to a bullfrog’s, and a body like a crocodile. Its small, bulbous eyes and extremely thin jaws filled with sharp teeth might make you wonder if it’s a strange science experiment or even something from another planet. And if you hear it making a loud “snoring” sound while it’s awake, as shown in this YouTube video, it may seem even more bizarre. Despite its unusual appearance and sounds, the gharial is a real animal that lives right here on Earth.

What Is a Gharial?

Gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) aren’t just oddly-shaped crocodiles; they actually belong to their own special family, Gavialidae. While they share a distant ancestry with crocodiles, gharials branched off on their own evolutionary path at least 40 million years ago.

Gharials are large reptiles, with males reaching lengths of 16 to 20 feet. They are mainly aquatic and spend most of their lives swimming. They come onto land only to lay eggs or bask in the sun on sandy riverbanks. Because their legs are not very strong, they cannot walk well on land and instead move by sliding on their bellies.

Male gharials are larger than females and have noticeable growth at the end of their long snouts. They are called ghara, and are named after an Indian mud pot due to their similar shape. The ghara acts as a natural amplifier, making their vocalizations louder. Gharials have sharp, interlocking teeth lining their long jaws, which they use to catch fish. Although fish make up most of their diet, young gharials also eat frogs, insects, and crustaceans.

Where Do Gharials Live?

Sadly, there are only a few hundred gharials left in the wild. These amazing creatures once lived across regions of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Pakistan, and Nepal. But today, estimates suggest there are between 650 and 1,000 gharials in the wild, with only about 200 reproducing adults, scattered in small, fragmented groups in northern India and Nepal.

These critically endangered reptiles face many threats. Some people hunt them for their meat, skin, and other body parts, believing they have medicinal properties. Fishermen also deplete fish populations in the rivers where gharials live, leaving them without enough food. Gharials also become tangled in fishing nets, and locals sometimes collect their eggs for food.

Because gharials are not very mobile on land, moving to new areas is difficult for them. As humans build dams and destroy the gharials’ habitat, these animals become isolated in small pockets, making it difficult for them to thrive or find new, safe places to live.

What Is That Snoring Sound?

That odd, round lump on the end of a male gharial’s snout (the ghara) isn’t just for show — it’s actually what causes that strange “snoring” sound you hear in this YouTube video. When gharials make vocalizations or hissing sounds, air is pushed through their nasal passages. The ghara covers their nostrils, causing the sound to emerge as a buzz or a snore. Gharials use this unique sound to communicate with one another, particularly during mating season or when protecting their territory.

The ghara also helps create another interesting sound: a “POP“. A POP is a sudden, loud thumping noise made underwater. These sounds are very brief, lasting only 9 to 55 milliseconds, but are surprisingly loud — they can be heard both in the water and on land, even from as far as 1,640 feet away! Male gharials often make these loud sounds when actively guarding their territory and during the breeding season. Each male has its own distinct POP patterns and timing, which helps other animals identify who they are and where they are located.