Chinese Alligator

The Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) (simplified Chinese: 扬子鳄; traditional Chinese: 揚子鱷, yáng zǐ è), also known as the Yangtze alligator,[4]  China alligator,[2] or historically the muddy dragon,[5]  is a critically endangered crocodilian endemic to China. The American alligator and it are the two living species in Alligator, a genusin 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 any other crocodilian. The species lives to age 50 on average, although some captive specimens have reached age 70. It 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.

Living mostly in bodies of fresh water, the Chinese alligator's distribution range is restricted to six regions in the province of Anhui as of 2015. Originally living as far away from its current range as Japan, the species previously had a wide range and population, but beginning in 5000 BC, multiple threats caused the species' population and range to decline. The population in the wild was about 1000 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. Several breeding facilities, both in China and foreign countries, have bred specimens in captivity and sometimes released them back into the wild.

The Chinese alligator has been a part of Chinese literature since the third century. In the late 1200s, Marco Polo became the first person outside of China to write about it. In many writings, the Chinese alligator has been associated with the Chinese dragon. Biologists John Thorbjarnarson and Xiaoming Wang have studied the relationship between the alligator and the mythological creature. Many pieces of evidence suggest that the Chinese alligator was the inspiration for the Chinese dragon.