False Gharial
Tomistoma schlegelii
A cosy nest
The perfect temperature for hatching false gharial eggs is 30°C. Females lay 20 to 60 eggs in hollows in the earth and cover them with vegetation. As the vegetation decays, it generates heat to keep the eggs cosy and warm – even at night. The young hatch after about three months. False gharials lay the largest eggs of all crocodilians (approx. 10 cm long and 7.5 cm wide).
Charakteristics
- Origin
Southeast Asia: Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo
- Habitat
Peat bog forests: Rivers, lakes and ponds
- Diet
Fish, mammals, amphibians, reptiles
- Status
decreasing
- Size
Body length: up to 6 m
- Weight
90 to 200 kg
- Breeding period
90 days
- Achievable age
up to 70 years
Threat Categories of IUCN
In a while, crocodile?
The Crocodilia order is divided into three families: true crocodiles, alligators, and gharials. They primarily differ in size and the shape of their skull. This reptile is known as a “false gharial” because scientists previously disagreed on whether it was a crocodile (Crocodylidae) or gharial (Gavialidae). This question is still not conclusively clarified, but currently the False Gharial is counted among the family of the true crocodiles.
