Jump to content

Chinese alligator

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 6a EXT2013 (talk | contribs) at 23:18, 24 October 2013. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Chinese alligator
Temporal range: Pleistocene-Recent,[1] 0.7–0 Ma
↓
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosauriformes
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Alligatoridae
Genus: Alligator
Species:
A. sinensis
Binomial name
Alligator sinensis
Fauvel, 1879
Synonyms

The Chinese alligator (simplified Chinese: 扬子鳄; traditional Chinese: 揚子鱷, (yáng zǐ è) Alligator sinensis) is one of two known living species of Alligator, a genus in the family Alligatoridae. It is native only to eastern China.

Characteristics

Detail of head

While its appearance is very similar to the only other living member of the genus, the American alligator, there are a few differences. Usually this species only attains an adult length of 5 feet (1.5 m) and a mass of 80 pounds (36 kg). Exceptionally large males have reached 7 feet (2.1 m) in length and 100 pounds (45 kg) in weight.[2][3] Reports are known of alligators in China reaching 10 feet (3.0 m) in centuries past, but these are now generally considered apocryphal.[4] Unlike the American alligator, the Chinese alligator is fully armored; even the belly is armored,[2] which is a feature of only a few crocodilians.

Distribution and habitat

The Chinese alligator's usual habitat was in places of low-elevation and any water sources. This includes marshes, wetlands, lakes, streams, and ponds.[5] Wetlands are extremely important to the Chinese alligators due to the biodiversity that is within them. [6]

The alligator originally ranged through much of China. However in the 1950’s, the Chinese alligator was only found in the southern area of the Changjang River from Pengze to the western shore of the Taihu lake, in the mountainous regions of southern Anhui, and the Jiangsu and Zheijang Provinces. They were usually found in the lakes, streams, and marshes for a time. But in the 1970's, the species was restricted to a small part of southern Anhui and the Zheijang Provinces.[7] Then, in 1998 the biggest area the alligator lived in was a small pond in Yangtze surrounded by farmland, and only 11 crocodiles lived inside of it. [8] The Chinese alligator's population reduction has been mostly due to conversion of its habitat to agricultural use. A majority of their usual wetland habitats have been turned into rice paddies.[9][10] Poisoning of rats, which the alligators then eat, has also been blamed for their decline.It was also not uncommon for the alligators to be killed because people believed they were pests, fear, or for their meat.[11] In the past decade, very few wild nests have been found, and even fewer produced viable offspring.

Behavior

Though usually solitary, the Chinese alligator participates in bellowing choruses during the mating season. Both genders participate in rough unison and during the chorus the alligators remain still. The choruses last on average about 10 minutes and interestingly enough respond to both the chorus of both genders equally. It has been theorized that this is because the chorus is not a mating competition, simply a way for mating groups to gather together. [12]

Conservation and threats

The Chinese alligator is listed as a CITES Appendix I species, which puts extreme restrictions on its trade and exportation throughout the world. It is IUCN Red Listed as a critically endangered species. Efforts are underway to reintroduce captive-bred animals to suitable wild habitats, but thus far have not met with much success. The Chinese alligator is mainly endangered because of habitat pollution and reduction as their distribution areas are turned into rice paddies. Extermination is also an issue, as farmers consider them to be a menace.[10]

Chinese alligators at Shanghai Zoo

In several restaurants and food centers in China's booming areas, young and premature alligators are allowed to roam free with their mouths taped shut.[13] They are subsequently killed for human consumption, as in China alligator meat is thought to cure colds and prevent cancer.[13] In China the organs of the Chinese alligator are sold as cures for a number of ailments.[9] This species is widely regarded as quite docile, but, as with any crocodilian, it is capable of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

In captivity

Chinese alligators are quite prolific in captivity, with estimates of the total captive population at over 10,000 animals, mostly in the Anhui Research Centre of Chinese Alligator Reproduction and the Madras Crocodile Bank, as well as in numerous zoos, including the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park which has successfully bred the Chinese alligator and has been fortunate enough to release some of the offspring back into the wild in China. Captive breeding of Chinese alligators has been successful though, with about 10,000 individuals in captivity. Chinese authorities are experimenting restocking wild populations with captive-bred individuals. species has been bred in wildlife refuges and in zoos, which maintain healthy populations. In 2003, the first captive-born Chinese alligators were released into their native range can also be seen in the reptile houses of the [citation needed], St. Louis Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo,[14] and San Diego Zoo. In an effort to ensure the species' survival, Chinese alligators hatched at zoos in the United States are being reintroduced into the wild in China.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Paleobiology Database: Alligatoridae
  2. ^ a b "Chinese alligator". Aquaticcommunity.com. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ Wood, Gerald (1983). The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. ISBN 978-0-85112-235-9.
  5. ^ Thorbjarnarson, John, et al. "Wild populations of the Chinese alligator approach extinction." Biological Conservation 103.1 (2002): 93-102.
  6. ^ Gallagher, Sean. "The Chinese Alligator, A Species On The Brink." News Watch. National Geographic, 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. <http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/26/the-chinese-alligator-a-species-on-the-brink/>.
  7. ^ Thorbjarnarson, John, et al. "Wild populations of the Chinese alligator approach extinction." Biological Conservation 103.1 (2002): 93-102.
  8. ^ Gallagher, Sean. "The Chinese Alligator, A Species On The Brink." News Watch. National Geographic, 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. <http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/26/the-chinese-alligator-a-species-on-the-brink/>.
  9. ^ a b "www.flmnh.ufl.edu". www.flmnh.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
  10. ^ a b "The Chinese Alligator: Species On The Brink". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
  11. ^ Gallagher, Sean. "The Chinese Alligator, A Species On The Brink." News Watch. National Geographic, 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. <http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/26/the-chinese-alligator-a-species-on-the-brink/>.
  12. ^ Wang, Xianyan, et al. "Why do Chinese alligators (Alligator sinensis) form bellowing choruses: A playback approach." The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 126 (2009): 2082.
  13. ^ a b Chang, L. T., and Olson, R.. Gilded Age, Gilded Cage. National Geographic Magazine, May 2008.
  14. ^ "Chinese Alligator". Saint Louis Zoo. Retrieved 2012-01-22.
  15. ^ "Chinese Alligator". cincinnatizoo.org. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  • The Chinese Alligator: Ecology, Behavior, Conservation, and Culture. John Thorbjarnarson and Xiaoming Wang. 2010. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-9348-8
  • Template:IUCN2006 Listed as Critically Endangered (CR A1c, D v2.3)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alligator sinensis.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chinese_alligator&oldid=578619368"