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THE FALSE GHARIAL CROCODILE

COMMON NAMES:
Tomistoma, False gharial, False gavial, Falso gavial malayo, Malayan fish crocodile, Senjulong

There is still doubt over whether this species should belong with Gavialis gangeticus in the family Gavialidae. The most recent fossil and morphological evidence suggests a closer relationship with the Crocodylidae, but there is strong biochemical & immunological evidence which disagrees with this.

NAME ETYMOLOGY:
Tomistoma means "sharp mouth", derived from tomos (Greek for "cutting" or "sharp")

ENVIRONMENT:
Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, possibly Sulawesi), Malaysia and possibly Vietnam.

HABITAT:
Freshwater lakes, rivers & swamps. They are reported to use burrows and seems to prefer vegetative cover, floating mats of vegetation and slow-moving waterways.

STATUS:
IUCN-International Union of Conservation of Nature (ENDANGERED)
Estimated wild population: under 2,500
Summary: Still relatively poor survey data, generally widespread but depleted with ongoing threatening processes

APPEARANCE:
Characteristic slender snout, not dissimilar to the gharial, from which it derives its common name. Generally dark brown. Much juvenile colouration retained in the adult. Maximum size up to 16ft.

DIET:
Their snout is perfect for catching fish, but is actually a more generalist predator than this would suggest. Stomach content analysis from animals in Malaysia show evidence of fish, insects, crustaceans and mammals. They also have a fondness for macaque monkeys.

With breeding females sexually mature at 7ft. Usually lay about 20 to 60 large eggs laid in clutch with incubation period around 90 days. The hatchlings receive no parental care, and mortality is consequently high - from predators such as wild pigs and reptiles.

CONSERVATION:
Another poorly-studied species. Enforcement of protected areas in limited. Habitat destruction (cultivation, dams & flood mitigation), drowning in fishing nets, overfishing of food resources and, to a limited extent, the skin trade threaten the species. While captive breeding has being initiated in Europe and the US, and captive animals are present at several centres around the world, conservation and management plans for wild populations are still lacking. Surveys are still being undertaken to assess current distribution in Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries.