Gavialidae

E542965

Gavialidae is a family of large, long-snouted semiaquatic reptiles that includes the gharial and its close relatives, distinct from true crocodiles and alligators.

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Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf taxonomic family
class Reptilia NERFINISHED
conservationConcern family includes critically endangered species
containsExtinctGenera Gryposuchus NERFINISHED
Rhamphosuchus NERFINISHED
Siquisiquesuchus NERFINISHED
diet primarily piscivorous
distinguishedFrom Alligatoridae NERFINISHED
Crocodylidae NERFINISHED
ecologicalRole apex aquatic predator
extantGenera Gavialis NERFINISHED
Tomistoma NERFINISHED
fossilRecord extends back to the Late Cretaceous
geologicalTimeRange Late Cretaceous to Recent
habitat freshwater rivers
hasCharacteristic large body size
long narrow snout
many sharp interlocking teeth
semiaquatic lifestyle
includesCommonName false gharial NERFINISHED
fish-eating crocodile
gharial
includesTaxon Gavialis gangeticus NERFINISHED
Tomistoma schlegelii NERFINISHED
kingdom Animalia
limbAdaptation relatively weak for terrestrial locomotion
locomotion primarily aquatic swimming
namedBy John Edward Gray NERFINISHED
nativeRange South Asia NERFINISHED
Southeast Asia NERFINISHED
notableSpeciesConservationStatus Gavialis gangeticus is critically endangered NERFINISHED
order Crocodylia NERFINISHED
phylogeneticPosition basal lineage within Crocodylia
phylum Chordata
primaryPreyType fish
reproduction oviparous
sensoryAdaptation pressure-sensitive integumentary sensory organs on jaws
skullCharacteristic large number of alveoli for teeth
narrow tubular rostrum
snoutShapeComparedToCrocodylidae more elongated and narrower
suborder Longirostres NERFINISHED
superfamily Gavialoidea NERFINISHED
taxonRank family
typeGenus Gavialis

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Crocodilia hasLivingFamilies Gavialidae
Crocodylidae relatedTo Gavialidae