# False gharial (*Tomistoma schlegelii*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/false-gharial  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. The IUCN Red List assesses the false gharial as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 119 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 24.7 years – 80 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | freshwater |
| Egg incubation | 90.6 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 31.8 |
| Age at maturity | 12 years – 20 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Crocodylia
- family: Gavialidae
- genus: Tomistoma
- species: *Tomistoma schlegelii* (Müller, 1838)

Synonyms: *Crocodilus schlegelii*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: False gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/false-gharial