English

A gavial

Wikispecies

Alternative forms

• gharial

Noun

gavial ‎(plural gavials)

1. The crocodilian Gavialis gangeticus; any species of the family Gavialidae.
   • 2002, Pierre-Henri Gouyon, Jean-Pierre Henry, Jacques Arnould, Tiiu Ojasoo (translator), Gene Avatars: The Neo-Darwinian Theory of Evolution, [1997, Les avatars du gène: La théorie néodarwinienne de l'évolution], page 28,

     Cuvier had begun studying the fossils of crocodiles found near Caen and Honfleur in France. (They were, in fact, gavials, fine-jawed crocodiles that are nowadays found in India).

   • 2006, Lynn Huggins-Cooper, Ravenous Reptiles, page 19,

     Although human remains and jewelry have been found in their stomachs, gavials are not as fierce as many alligators and crocodiles.

   • 2011, Joseph T. Springer, Dennis Holley, An Introduction to Zoology: Investigating the Animal World, page 415,

     Gavials (or gharials) are found only on the northern Indian subcontinent, where most are riverine, being best adapted to calmer areas in deep fast-flowing rivers.

Usage notes

Technically, extending the definition to family Gavialidae results in including just one other extant species: the false gavial (Tomistoma schlegelii). However, the subfamily Tomistominae is often (perhaps usually) excluded from Gavialidae.

Synonyms

• (Gavialis gangeticus): fish-eating crocodile, gharial, Indian gharial
• (any species of Gavialidae): gavialid

Derived terms

• false gavial (Tomistoma schlegelii)

Related terms

• gavialid

Translations

See also

• caiman
• Gavialis

Romanian

Un gavial

Etymology

From French gavial, from Hindi घड़ियाल ‎(gaṛiyāl, “alligator, crocodile”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /gaviˈal/
• Hyphenation: ga‧vi‧al

Noun

gavial m ‎(plural gaviali)

1. gavial

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

From French gavial, from Hindi घड़ियाल ‎(gaṛiyāl, “alligator, crocodile”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡaˈβjal/
• Rhymes: -al

Noun

gavial m ‎(plural gaviales)

1. gavial, gharial