Scientific Classification
- Common Name
- tomistoma, false gharial, false gavial
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Crocodylia
- Family
- Crocodylidae
- Genus Species
- Tomistoma schlegelii
Fast Facts
- Description
- No data
- Size
- up to 5 m (16 ft)
- Weight
- No data
- Diet
- primarily fish, though other small vertebrates may supplement
- Incubation
- approximately 3 months
Clutch Size: 20-60 eggs - Sexual Maturity
- No data
- Life Span
- No data
- Range
- Indonesia, Malaysia, possibily Vietnam and Thailand
- Habitat
- freshwater lakes, rivers, and estuaries
- Population
- Global: No data
- Status
- IUCN: Endangered
CITES: No data
USFWS: No data
Fun Facts
- Tomistomas belong to the crocodilian order which also includes alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gharials.
- Tomistomas have between 76 and 84 teeth.
- The tomistoma name is derived from the Greek words tomos (meaning "sharp") and stoma (meaning "mouth").
- Like all crocodilians, the gender of their hatchlings is determined by temperature. Warmer temperatures produce males and cooler temperatures produce females.
- Tomistoma eggs are relatively large in size. Each elliptical egg measures around 70x100 mm (3x4 in) and is more than triple the weight of a chicken egg.
Ecology and Conservation
Tomistomas are an endangered species due to habitat loss and accidental entrapment in fishing nets. As a top predator in their environment, their presence or absence significantly effects prey populations.
Bibliography
Alderton, David. Crocodiles and Alligators of the World. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1998.