Polypterus faraou was named by Otero et al. (2006) [A Polypterus species characterized by: depressed head (as in P. weeksii and P. endlicheri only), head length approximately 20% of body length (less than 20% in other Polypterus species except P. ansorgii, P. bichir and P. endlicheri) and head width at the level of the preoperculum reaches 70% of its length (more than in any other Polypterus species); opening of the lateral line on the nasal 3 close to its posterior border (as in P. bichir and P. endlicheri, whereas it is central in other species); large and rounded snout, shorter than the interorbital distance (as in most Polypterus species except P. bichir and P. palmas the snout of which is longer than the interorbital distance); superolateral position of the orbit (as in P. ansorgii, P. weeksii, P. endlicheri and P. bichir, whereas the orbit is lateral in P. delhezi, P. ornatipinnis, P. senegalus, P. retropinnis and P. palmas); orbit length around the half the interor bital space (as in P. bichir katangae and possibly in P. teugelsi, whereas it is more than 60% in P. ansorgii, and less than 45% in the other species) and orbit smaller than suboperculum width (as in P. bichir and P. endlicheri only); prognathus lower jaw (as in P. bichir and P. endlicheri only); at least 5–7 prespiracular bones (the number of prespiracular bones is possibly equal to or above seven only in P. weeksii, in P. bichir bichir and in P. endlicheri congicus); deep body with approximately 23 transversal scales, 58–60 scale rows, and 14 predorsal scales (such body shape exists elsewhere only in P. ansorgii, P. bichir and P. endlicheri); 15 finlets with successive pinnules of the finlets overlapping the base of the following one (such dorsal fin mophology elsewhere only in P. ansorgii, P. bichir and P. endlicheri congicus); grooved lateral line scales with notched posterior margins (as in P. ansorgii, P. bichir and P. endlicheri only). The holotype is 590 mm in standard length. Such dimensions are also reached in P. bichir and P. endlicheri only.]. It is extant. Its type specimen is TM090-001-039, a skeleton. Its type locality is Toros-Menalla, which is in a Messinian lacustrine sandstone in Chad.