Gavialis fossil map
Where fossils of Gavialis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 5 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Crocodile relatives |
|---|---|
| Lived | 20.45 million years ago to the present (Burdigalian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Gavialidae |
| Named by | Oppel 1811 |
| Fossil records | 44 occurrences at 30 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, France, Iraq, Egypt |
| Rock formations | txn:38413, Pinjor, Dhok Pathan, Irrawaddy, Piram Conglomerate, Babladanga |
About Gavialis
Gavialis is a genus of crocodilians that includes the living gharial Gavialis gangeticus and one known extinct species, Gavialis bengawanicus. G. gangeticus comes from the Indian subcontinent, while G. bengawanicus is known from Java. Gavialis likely first appeared in the Indian Subcontinent in the Pliocene and dispersed into the Malay Archipelago through a path called the Siva–Malayan route in the Quaternary. Remains attributed to Gavialis have also been found on Sulawesi and Woodlark Island east of the Wallace Line, suggesting a prehistoric lineage of Gavialis was able to traverse marine environments and reach places possibly as far as western Oceania.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Gavialis (revision 1336219093), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q3506745.
