GAVIAL

also called Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), long-snouted reptile that is related to alligators and crocodiles but classified as the sole species in the separate family Gavialidae (order Crocodilia). The gavial inhabits the rivers of northern India. Like other crocodilians, it is lizardlike and reproduces by means of hard-shelled eggs laid in nests built by the female. It is distinguished by its long, very slender, and sharp-toothed jaws, which it sweeps sideways in order to catch fish, its main prey. The gavial normally attains a length of about 45 m (1215 feet). It does not attack humans but apparently does feed on corpses set afloat in funeral ceremonies on the Ganges River. The false gavial (Tomistoma schlegeli) looks like a gavial but is placed with the crocodiles in the family Crocodilidae. It is found in Southeast Asia.