Harpacochampsa is a poorly known Early Miocene crocodilian from the Bullock Creek lagerstätte of the Northern Territory, Australia. The current specimen consists of a partial skull and fragments of a long, slender snout reminiscent of that of a false gharial, demonstrating that it was a piscivore in life.
Harpacochampsa
Harpacochampsa camfieldensis (front) and Baru darrowi (back)
Harpacochampsa may have preferred deeper, slow moving waters like billabongs
The false gharial, 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 Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the global population is estimated at around 2,500 to 10,000 mature individuals.
False gharial
Close-up of a false gharial at the Tierpark Berlin
Skull of a false gharial at the Zoological Museum of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg
Fossil dorsal plates of "Tomistoma" calaritanus