Back قاطور صيني Arabic قاطور صينى ARZ Çin alliqatoru AZ Китайски алигатор Bulgarian Aligator Sina BR Al·ligàtor xinès Catalan Alligator sinensis CEB Aligátor čínský Czech Chińsczi aligator CSB Китай аллигаторĕ CV
| Chinese alligator Temporal range: Pliocene–Recent,
| |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauromorpha |
| Clade: | Archosauriformes |
| Order: | Crocodilia |
| Family: | Alligatoridae |
| Subfamily: | Alligatorinae |
| Genus: | Alligator |
| Species: | A. sinensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Alligator sinensis (Fauvel, 1879)
| |
| |
| Chinese alligator range (in Black) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis; simplified Chinese: 鼍; traditional Chinese: 鼉; pinyin: tuó),[5] also known as the Yangtze alligator (simplified Chinese: 扬子鳄; traditional Chinese: 揚子鱷; pinyin: yángzǐ'è), China alligator,[2] or historically the muddy dragon,[6] is a crocodilian endemic to China. It and the American alligator (A. mississippiensis) are the only living species in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. Dark gray or black in color with a fully armored body, the Chinese alligator grows to 1.5–2.1 metres (5–7 ft) in length and weighs 36–45 kilograms (80–100 lb) as an adult. It brumates in burrows in winter and is nocturnal in summer. Mating occurs in early summer, with females most commonly producing 20–30 eggs, which are smaller than those of any other crocodilian. The species is an opportunistic feeder, primarily eating fish and invertebrates. A vocal species, adults bellow during the mating season and young vocalize to communicate with their parents and other juveniles. Captive specimens have reached age 70, and wild specimens can live past 50.
Living in bodies of fresh water, the Chinese alligator's range is restricted to six regions in the province of Anhui, as well as possibly the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Originally living as far away from its current range as Japan, the species previously had a wide range and population, but beginning in 6000 BC,[citation needed] multiple threats, such as habitat destruction, caused the species' population and range to decline. The population in the wild was about 1,000 in the 1970s, decreased to below 130 in 2001, and grew after 2003, with its population being about 300 as of 2017. Listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, multiple conservation actions have been taking place for this species.
The Chinese alligator has been a part of Chinese literature since the third century. In the late 13th century, Marco Polo became the first person outside of China to write about it. In some writings, the Chinese alligator has been associated with the Chinese dragon. Many pieces of evidence suggest that the Chinese alligator was an inspiration for the Chinese dragon.
- ^ Rio, Jonathan P.; Mannion, Philip D. (September 6, 2021). "Phylogenetic analysis of a new morphological dataset elucidates the evolutionary history of Crocodylia and resolves the long-standing gharial problem". PeerJ. 9: e12094. doi:10.7717/peerj.12094. PMC 8428266. PMID 34567843.
- ^ a b Jiang, H.-X.; Wu, X. (2018). "Alligator sinensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T867A3146005. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T867A3146005.en. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- ^ "Appendices". CITES. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ Wu, Ziaobang; Zhou, Kaiya; Wang, Yiquan; Zhu, Weiquan (October 2003). "Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of Chinese alligator, Alligator sinensis, and phylogeny of crocodiles". Chinese Science Bulletin. 48 (19): 2050–2054. Bibcode:2003ChSBu..48.2050W. doi:10.1360/03wc0076. S2CID 86890007. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ "The largest group of Chinese alligators released to the wild". UNDP in China. June 8, 2016. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
- ^ Perry, Tony (July 4, 2012). "San Diego Zoo gets two Chinese alligators in preservation effort". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.