The false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii), 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 Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as the global population is estimated at around 2,500 to 10,000 mature individuals.

Perhaps what is clear from this is the need to know the population more accurately, as there is a big difference between 2500 and 10000. Having said this, what is clear is that this is a crocodillian that is in a much safer position than many of its cousins.

While rare, there have been 3 fatal attacks on humans since 2000. While before this there were no documented cases, this may be down to record keeping rather than actual facts.

It is considered appendix i and its distribution is very broken which can be a great threat to a species. What will happen in the future is still unclear.