Rare Croc

This is the False Gavial (Tomistoma schlegeli), one of the rarest crocodilians. They occur across southeast Asia, this one was photographed in Borneo. They prefer peat swamps, or swamp forests, but also occur along jungle streams. They get big... this one was over 5 meters long, but are not known to prey on humans. They have no commercial value in that their skin has boney ossicles in the scales, making the leather useless. Nevertheless, interested croc farm owners in Malaysia and Thailand are the only breeders of the this species.

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Great shot John! very interesting animal indeed...
Question... why would these crocs be breed? What are these people doing with them?

This is where the False Gavial lives, a jungle stream in a swamp forest, this scene from northern Borneo (Sarawak, Malaysia). Also inhabited by King Cobras, Clouded leopards, giant monitor lizards, and bats with 3 foot wingspans! My kinda place.

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Here is a young adult False Gavial photographed out of the water at a croc farm in Thailand. You can see the narrow snout that gives them a resemblance to the Indian Gavial. Their diet is heavy on fish, but they are predators of opportunity. There are no known unprovoked attacks on humans.

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