Gharial

Quick meaning: Gharial is a noun meaning A crocodilian of species Gavialis gangeticus, of the family Gavialidae.

Meaning

A crocodilian of species Gavialis gangeticus, of the family Gavialidae.

Example Sentences

One of the goals of our river expedition was to locate gharial. Gharial help crocodilians lay claim to being the ugliest reptiles, and perhaps the most ancient.

Placed in a family by itself, the Gavialidae, the gharial has long been separated from the rest of the crocodilian stock, with the possible exception of Tomistoma (Densmore 1983).

We crossed the Rapti at Bijlipur, three miles from Balrampur, over a pontoon bridge, from where we would often see marsh crocodile and gharial lying on the sandbanks with their mouths open, absorbing the solar heat.

The gharial breathes air into its lungs, like caimans, alligators, and crocodiles. It can hold its breath and stay underwater for a long time—more than half an hour. Gharials can also hunt underwater. They even eat their food there.

Word Forms

• gharials
• gharrial
• ghavial

Synonyms for gharial

Depending on context, synonyms include gavial, gavialid.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include gavial, gavialid, gavialoid, jairou, galagid, gaviid.

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