Gavial - AccessScience from McGraw-Hill Education http://accessscience.com/content/gavial/282900

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Article by: Curtin, Charles B. Department of Biology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska. Publication year: 2014 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.282900 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.282900)

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Bibliography Additional Readings

The name of two species of reptiles that form the family Gavialidae in the order Crocodylia. The Indian gavial (Gavialis gangeticus) [see illustration] is confined to the Ganges River and its tributaries and may attain a length of 9 m (30 ft), whereas the Malayan gavial (Tomistoma schlegelii) is found in Borneo and Sumatra and has a maximum length of approximately 4.5 m (15 ft). See also: Alligator (/content/alligator/024200); Crocodile (/content/crocodile/168600); Crocodylia (/content/crocodylia/168610); Reptilia (/content/reptilia/581800)

Indian gavial (Gavialis gangeticus). (Photo courtesy of Kevin A. Boudreaux)

The gavial (also known as gharial) is distinguished from other members of the order by its extremely long, slender snout. The tip of the snout is enlarged, and fleshy elevations surround the openings of the nostrils. The mouth cavity is lined with long, stout, sharp-edged teeth, with the upper set interlocking with the lower set. Gavials feed almost exclusively on fish. They are timid animals and, when alarmed, move with great rapidity into the nearby water.

Female gavials lay about 30–40 eggs in nests that have been prepared (by the females) on the riverbanks. The newly hatched young are about 0.3 m (1 ft) in length and quite active.

Charles B. Curtin

Bibliography

1 of 3 10/26/2015 11:57 AM Gavial - AccessScience from McGraw-Hill Education http://accessscience.com/content/gavial/282900 J.-M. Ballouard et al., Does reintroduction stabilize the population of the critically endangered gharial (Gavialis gangeticus, Gavialidae) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal?, Aquat. Conservat. Mar. Freshwat. Ecosyst., 20:756–761, 2010 DOI: 10.1002/aqc.1151 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.1151)

F. H. Pough et al., Herpetology, 3d ed., Pearson/Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2004

L. J. Vitt and J. P. Caldwell, Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles, 3d ed., Academic Press, Burlington, MA, 2009

Additional Readings

S. Katdare et al. Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) opulations and human influences on habitat on the River Chambal, India, Aquat. Conservat. Mar. Freshwat. Ecosyst., 21(4):364–371, 2011 DOI: 10.1002/aqc.1195 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.1195)

J. T. Springer and D. Holley, An Introduction to Zoology: Investigating the Animal World, Jones & Bartlett Learning, Burlington, MA, 2103

J. T. Springer and D. Holley, An Introduction to Zoology: Investigating the Animal World, Jones & Bartlett Learning, Burlington, MA, 2013

Gavialidae (http://reptilis.net/crocodylia/gavies/gavialidae.html)

Gharial Conservation Alliance (http://www.gharialconservation.org/)

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