False Gharial
Tomistoma sclegelii

Class: Reptilia
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Crocodylidae
Genus: Tomistoma
Species: sclegelii

Distribution:
Java, possibly Sulawesi), Malaysia
(Malay Peninsula, Borneo), possibly
Vietnam, possibly extirpated
in Thailand (none seen since 1970)

Habitat:
Freshwater lakes, rivers, and swamps

Diet:
Feeds primarily on fish.

The False gharial is threatened with extinction throughout most of its range due to the drainage of its freshwater swamplands and clearance of surrounding rainforests. The species is also hunted frequently for its skin and meat and the eggs are often harvested for human consumption. False gharials are endangered.They have disappeared completely from some of the places they used to live, likeThailand. By the middle of the 20th century, widespread commercial hunting for the skin trade brought some crocodilians to the brink of extinction. Though muchof the illegal hunting has been stopped, false gharials and other species continue to face the threat of habitat loss, which results from growing human populations and increased agricultural expansion. Today, of the 23 crocodilian species, 12 are in need of our help.

Interesting Facts:
• Tomistoma, the scientific name for the false gharial, means "sharp mouth" in Greek.
• Both false and true gharials are also sometimes called gavials. It's believed that this term began as a misspelling of gharial.