Gavialidae is a family of reptiles within the order Crocodilia. Gavialidae has conventionally consisted of only one surviving species, the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), which is native to India. Many extinct species are also known. The false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) has usually been thought to be a member of the family Crocodylidae based on several characters including skull morphology, but has sometimes been viewed as a member of this family due to general similarities in morphology and habit. However, numerous molecular studies have consistently shown that the two species are very closely related, supporting the view that they are in fact in the same family.
Gavialids are large semiaquatic reptiles, resembling crocodiles, but with a much thinner snout. The thin snout is used to catch fish, as gavialids lack the jaw strength to capture the large mammalian prey favoured by crocodiles and alligators of similar size.
^Willis, R. E.; McAliley, L. R.; Neeley, E. D.; Densmore Ld, L. D. (June 2007). "Evidence for placing the false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) into the family Gavialidae: Inferences from nuclear gene sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution43 (3): 787–794. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.005. PMID17433721.edit
^Magnusson, William E. (1998). Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G., ed. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 229–230. ISBN0-12-178560-2.