SNOUT–TAIL ALLOMETRY IN CROCODILE BODY GROWTH
(English translation of Singh,
L.A.K., 2026; originally in Odia, Bigyana Diganta, Odisha Science Academy)
The popular article, discusses how the proportions of body‑length components change during the growth of the gharial Gavialis gangeticus. Two hypotheses are proposed:
- Egg
Space Economy During Embryonic Development
- Post‑hatching
Growth Priority
Evolutionary Background
During evolution, the proportions
and functional mechanisms of body parts are shaped in harmony with the
environment. These adaptations help the organism survive and reproduce
successfully.
Academia.edu Link: (44) SNOUT-TAIL ALLOMETRY IN CROCODILE BODY GROWTH
The Odia article in Bigyana Diganta (May 2026) revisits these early findings with renewed clarity. Even after five decades, the biological insights remain fresh and contemporary, because natural history grounded in careful field observation does not lose relevance.
Along with the original Odia version with Figures, I am sharing this refined English version on academia.edu so that young researchers and naturalists may rediscover the enduring value of morphometry, field biology, and evolutionary reasoning in crocodilian conservation.
My research on gharial growth proportions began in 1975 and formed a part of the foundation of my PhD thesis in August 1978. The two hypotheses on snout development were first touched upon in Singh & Bustard (1982) in the British Journal of Herpetology, though not discussed in full. These ideas later matured in a chapter to my 2018 book 'Gharial is a Fish eating Crocodile', published in eight international languages.
