FaunaHub
ENEndangeredPartial review

Tomistoma

Tomistoma schlegelii

Tomistoma (Tomistoma schlegelii), a slender-snouted crocodilian.

Tomistoma / false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii).

Image: TimVickers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
EN · Endangered
Animal group
Reptiles & Amphibians
Population trend
Decreasing
Last verified

Conservation overview

The tomistoma, or false gharial, is a slender-snouted crocodilian of Southeast Asian swamps. It is assessed as Vulnerable.

Its very narrow snout suits catching fish, like the true gharial it resembles.

Range & habitat

Freshwater swamps and rivers of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

  • Habitat loss including peat-swamp drainage
  • Fishing-net entanglement
  • Egg collection

Why it matters

A specialised freshwater crocodilian of vanishing peat swamps, the tomistoma is a flagship for Southeast Asia's threatened wetland forests.

Gallery

A tomistoma resting at the water's edge.

Tomistoma (Tomistoma schlegelii); this individual is in a zoo.

Image: Crisco 1492, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Tomistoma

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the tomistoma a true gharial?
No. It is called the 'false gharial' because its long, slender snout resembles the gharial's, but it is a separate species; its exact relationships have long been debated.
Why is the tomistoma Vulnerable?
Published assessments cite habitat loss (especially drainage of peat swamps), entanglement in fishing nets, and egg collection. See the IUCN Red List.

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