Calamus vs Gharial

Acorus calamus compared with Gavialis gangeticus

Key Differences

Calamus is Least Concern while Gharial is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Calamus	Gharial
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Acorales (Acorales)	Crocodylia (Crocodilians)
Family	Acoraceae	Crocodylidae (Crocodiles)
Genus	Acorus	Crocodylus (True Crocodiles)
Species	Acorus calamus	Gavialis gangeticus

Conservation Status

Calamus

LC — Least Concern

Gharial

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~650

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Calamus

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (5 countries), Europe (30 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

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.

Calamus

The Calamus (Acorus calamus) is a species in the genus Acorus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.