False gharial
Tomistoma schlegelii (Müller, 1838)
The false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) is a crocodilian reptile in the order Crocodylia and the family Gavialidae. It falls in the large size class, with a representative adult body mass of 119 kg.
Quick facts about the false gharial
The IUCN Red List assesses the false gharial as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.
- Weight
- 119 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 24.7 years – 80 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 90.6 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 31.8src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 years – 20 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the false gharial
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the false gharial live?
Not recorded
What is the false gharial?
The false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii), also known by the names Malayan gharial, Sunda gharial and tomistoma, is a freshwater crocodilian of the family Gavialidae native to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra and Java. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the global population is estimated at around 2,500 to 10,000 mature individuals.
The species name schlegelii honors Hermann Schlegel.
From the Wikipedia article “False gharial” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=False_gharial&oldid=1381050197), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the false gharial endangered?
The false gharial is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.
How is the false gharial classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classReptilia
- orderCrocodylia
- familyGavialidae
- genusTomistoma
- SpeciesTomistoma schlegelii (Müller, 1838)
Synonyms Crocodilus schlegelii
Other names and names in other languages (53)
- False gavialEnglish
- Long-headed crocodileEnglish
- Malay gavialEnglish
- Malayan gavialEnglish
- Malayan gharialEnglish
- Malayan gharialEnglish
- Sunda gavialEnglish
- Sunda gharialEnglish
- Sunda gharialEnglish
- TomistomaEnglish
- TomistomaEnglish
- Valse GaviaalAfrikaans
- جافيال مزيفArabic
- جافيال سونديArabic
- جافيال ملائيArabic
- tomistoma úzkohlaváCzech
- Uægte gavialDanish
- SundagavialGerman
- Falscher (oder Schlegels) GavialGerman
- Falscher GavialGerman
- Schlegels GavialGerman
- Sunda-GavialGerman
- Falso Gavial MalayoSpanish
- ValegaviaaliFinnish
- Faux gavial malaisFrench
- Faux gavial de MalaisieFrench
- Faux-gavial de MalaisieFrench
- גאביאל חקייןHebrew
- Szunda-krokodilHungarian
- JulungIndonesian
- Buaya sapitIndonesian
- Buaya senyulungIndonesian
- Buaya SepitIndonesian
- Buaya sumpitIndonesian
- SenyulongIndonesian
- Falso gavialeItalian
- ガビアルモドキJapanese
- マレーガビアルJapanese
- 말레이가비알Korean
- Buaya JejulongMalay
- Buaya jenjulongMalay
- Falsk GavialNorwegian Bokmål
- Onechte GaviaalDutch
- Krokodyl gawialowyPolish
- Falso-gavial-da-malásiaPortuguese
- ПсевдогавиалRussian
- Гавиаловый крокодилRussian
- TakongThai
- Malaya GavyaliTurkish
- Крокодил гавіаловийUkrainian
- Cá sấu Ấn Độ giảVietnamese
- 馬來鱷Chinese
- 馬來長吻鱷Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the false gharial
Other species in the same family Gavialidae.
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CompareFalse gharial vs GharialFalse gharial vs Dadagavialis gunaiFalse gharial vs Aktiogavialis caribesiFalse gharial vs Gunggamarandu maunala
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the false gharial?
The false gharial is a crocodilian, a reptile in the order Crocodylia and the family Gavialidae. Other English names for it include Tomistoma, False gavial, Sunda gavial, Malay gavial and Sunda gharial.
How heavy is a false gharial?
A representative adult false gharial weighs 119 kg, which places it in the large size class (25 to 250 kg).
Is the false gharial endangered?
Yes. The IUCN Red List classifies the false gharial as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.
How long does a false gharial live?
Sources give a lifespan of 24.7 years for the false gharial, with values reported up to 80 years.
How many eggs does a false gharial lay?
A false gharial clutch holds 31.8 eggs, with one clutch per year. The eggs incubate for 90.64 days.
When does a false gharial reach sexual maturity?
The false gharial reaches sexual maturity at 20 years, and the lowest value reported by sources is 12 years.
Who named the false gharial?
The scientific name Tomistoma schlegelii carries the authority (Müller, 1838).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). False gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/false-gharial
“False gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/false-gharial.
@misc{false_gharial_2026,
title = {False gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/false-gharial},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}