Chinese Alligator
For a long time it was believed to be extinct
There are only two species of alligator: one in America and this one – originating from China – which is much smaller (1m50 on average) and rarer!
This reptile has only been known to Western scientists since 1879 and for a long time it was believed to be extinct.
Due to the destruction of its habitat and water pollution, only a few dozen of them currently remain in the ponds and lakes of the estuary of the great Chinese river, the Yang Tse Kiang…
Fortunately this alligator reproduces well in captivity (several thousand specimens) but proves to be more complicated to reintroduce it into the wild.
The Chinese Alligator hibernates during the coldest months at the bottom of a burrow dug into the river bank: as soon as the warm weather returns and days get longer, it awakes and becomes an active predator once again.
A "critically endangered" species
- Name : Chinese Alligator
- Latin name : Alligator sinensis
- Origin : China, Estuary of the River Yang Tse Kiang
- IUCN status : Critically endangered
- Cites : Appendix I
