False Gharial
False Gharial
The false gharial, also known as the Malayan gharial or false gavial, (Tomistoma schlegelii) is a fresh-water reptile, resembling a crocodile with a very thin and elongated snout resembling that of the gharial, hence its name.
The false gharial, like all other crocodilian species, lays eggs. It is not known when the species breeds in the wild or when its nesting season is. It is a mound nester. Females usually mature at 2-3 m. Mated females will lay a clutch of 30-60 eggs in a mound of dry leaves or peat. Once the eggs are laid, and construction of the mound is completed, she abandons her nest. Unlike most other crocodilian species, the young receive no parental care and are at risk of being eaten by predators like mongooses, big cats such as tigers and leopards, civets, and wild dogs. The young hatch after 90 days and are left to fend for themselves.
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. However, positive steps have been taken by the Malaysian and Indonesian governments to prevent its extinction in the wild.
Range of false gharial
False Gharial
False Gharial