Tomistoma

In news– A new study has revealed that increasing human intrusion into Tomistoma’s habitat may be causing it to attack people(usually shy).

About Tomistoma-

The false gharial, also known by the names Malayan gharial, Sunda gharial and tomistoma (Tomistoma schlegelii) is a large, slender-snouted crocodilian species native to southeast Asia.
It is distributed across part of Borneo (divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei), peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.
It is a freshwater species and is frequently associated with peat swamp forest.
It is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Although long believed to be primarily piscivorous (fish eating) due to its slender snout, in recent decades it has been found that the species has a much broader diet and is likely more of an opportunistic predator.
In addition to fish, adult tomistoma also prey on birds, monitor lizards, monkeys and deer, as well as one record of attempted predation upon cattle.
Increasing conflict with humans could be grave for the tomistoma which has specialised habitat requirements and a limited distribution.
According to most studies, the tomistoma is a shy and reclusive species that typically retreats from areas with a high degree of human activity.
Unlike the gharial, the false gharial’s snout broadens considerably towards the base and so is more similar to those of true crocodiles than the gharial, whose osteology indicated a distinct lineage from all other living crocodilians.