Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Looks like a Gharial but is it one....


Looks like a Gharial but is it one....
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

It has a long, narrow snout like a Gharial but is actually a crocodile. It is called a False Gharial.

Put on the endangered list, found in isolated wild habitats of Indonesia and Malaysia. Said to have disappeared from Vietnam and Thailand. However, it is being bred in many captive sites.

One of the most unusual and little known of all crocodilians. Very little is properly studied about this crocodile. In fact, opinion is divided on whether it should be a crocodile or a gharial.

Scientific name: Tomistoma schlegelii

The name is a tribute to the Dutch zoologist H. Schlegel who credited with its discovery.

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