Gavial - Indian gavial

A crocodile of the family Crocodylidae, order Crocodyliidae, class Reptilia. Also known as the Indian gharial or Ganges crocodile. It is found in the Indus, Ganges, Mahanaji, and Brahmaputra river basins in India, and in the lower Irrawaddy river basin in Myanmar (Burma). There is only one extant species in the genus Gharial, and it has a particularly long and slender snout, even among the crocodilians. It is sometimes classified as an independent family because its nasal bone and premaxilla do not join, but recently it has been placed in the subfamily Gharialinae of the family Crocodylidae, including fossil species. It has a total length of 4 to 6.2 meters, the longest and slenderest snout of any extant crocodile, and it also has the most teeth, with 29 on one side of the upper jaw and 26 on the lower jaw. The tip of the snout is octagonal, and the male's external nostril is a hump-like protuberance called a ghara. It often lives in the water, and attacks schools of fish by sweeping its long snout sideways. This species is considered sacred by Hindus as a messenger of God and has been protected as a water deity, but as a result of overhunting for its skin and eggs, its population has declined significantly. Since 1975, the Indian government has been working to protect and propagate it.

[Takahiro Matsui]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

爬虫(はちゅう)綱ワニ目クロコダイル科のワニ。別名インドガビアル、ガンジスワニ。インドのインダス、ガンジス、マハナージ、ブラマプトラ各河川流域およびミャンマー（ビルマ）のイラワジ川下流域に分布する。現生種はガビアル属1種だけで、クロコダイル科のなかでもとくに吻部(ふんぶ)が細長い。鼻骨と前上顎骨(がくこつ)が接しない点で独立の科に分類されることもあるが、最近では化石種を含めクロコダイル科のガビアル亜科に入れられる。全長4～6.2メートル、吻部は現生ワニ中もっとも細長く、歯の数も最多で、片側の上あごで29個、下あごで26個ほどある。吻端は八角形で雄の外鼻孔はガーラとよばれるこぶ状隆起になっている。水中にいることが多く、長い吻部を横なぎにして魚の群れを襲う。本種はヒンドゥー教徒によって聖なる神の使いとされ、また水の神として保護されてきたが、皮や卵を求めて乱獲された結果著しく減少し、インドでは1975年から政府により保護増殖が進められている。

［松井孝爾］

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