False gharial
Scientific name: Tomistoma schlegelii (Müller, 1838)
Overview
The false gharial, 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.
From the Wikipedia article “False gharial”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Indonesia (Sumatra, Borneo, Kalimantan, Java, Sulawesi),.
Common names
Also known in English as Malayan Gharial, Sunda Gavial, Sunda Gharial, Tomistoma.
Names in other languages (11)
- Arabic
- غريال مزيف
- Chinese
- 馬來長吻鱷
- French
- Faux gavial malais, Faux-gavial de Malaisie
- German
- Falscher (oder Schlegels) Gavial, Sunda-Gavial, Sundagavial
- Indonesian
- Buaya sepit
- Japanese
- マレーガビアル
- Persian
- گریال کاذب
- Portuguese
- Gavial-da-malásia
- Russian
- Гавиаловый крокодил
- Spanish
- Falso Gavial Malayo
- Turkish
- Malaya gavyali
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Reptile Database.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q242464, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “False gharial”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — TimVickers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026