Gavialidae is a family of
reptiles within the order
Crocodilia. Gavialidae have conventionally consisted of only one surviving species, the
gharial (
Gavialis gangeticus), which is native to
India and
Nepal. 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 the two species to be very closely related, supporting the view that they are in the same family.