Chinese Alligator
Alligator sinensis

CLASS: Reptilia
ORDER: Crocodylia
FAMILY: Crocodylidae

SIZE:
5-6 feet

RANGE:
Lower Yangtze River, China

HABITAT:
Marshes, ponds, rivers, and streams

DIET:
Wild - Snails, mussels, frogs, and fish
Zoo - Fish, meat, and chicken

DESCRIPTION:

• Similar to American Alligator but is smaller, being only 5-6 feet in length.
• Main differences between the Chinese and American Alligator other than size: the Chinese Alligator has a shorter snout and a bony plate in the eyelid.

FACTS:

• Hibernate for 6-7 months in burrows
• The ventral scales of the Chinese Alligator have large bony plates making them nearly worthless for the skin trade.
• They prefer mollusks to other prey.

YOUNG:
10 to 50 eggs are laid in a clutch. The young are black and yellow like the American's but have fewer cross bands.

STATUS:
ENDANGERED due to habitat loss and from farmers killing them.

REFERENCES:
Crocodilian Species, A. Britton (Internet)
Chinese Alligator, Utah's Hogle Zoo (Internet)