African Openbill vs Gharial

Anastomus lamelligerus compared with Gavialis gangeticus

Key Differences

African Openbill is Least Concern while Gharial is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African Openbill	Gharial
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Ciconiiformes (Ciconiiformes)	Crocodylia (Crocodilians)
Family	Ciconiidae	Crocodylidae (Crocodiles)
Genus	Anastomus	Crocodylus (True Crocodiles)
Species	Anastomus lamelligerus	Gavialis gangeticus

Evolutionary Relationship

African Openbill and Gharial share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

African Openbill

LC — Least Concern

Gharial

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~650

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African Openbill	Gharial
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	60 years
Average Length	—	5.0 m
Average Weight	—	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

African Openbill

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Germany, and Norway.

Gharial

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across India and Nepal. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African Openbill

The African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus) is a species in the genus Anastomus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.