Definition of "gavial" [ga•vi•al]

• A large reptile (Gavialis gangeticus) of southern Asia, related to and resembling the crocodiles and having a long slender snout. Also called gharial. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Another giant species of fossil crocodilian (gavial-like, in this instance) has been discovered."
• "Two species of crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus and C. palustris), the Gangetic gavial (Gavialis gangeticus), and the water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator) use both land and water to hunt and bask in."
• "There are several reptile species of conservation significance in this ecoregion, including the monitor lizard (Varanus salvator), the false gavial (Tomistoma schlegeli), and the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)."