View source for Chinese alligator

{{Short description|One of two species in genus Alligator}}
{{Redirect-distinguish2|Muddy dragon|[[Kinorhyncha]], also known as mud dragons}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Chinese alligator
| fossil_range = [[Pliocene]]–Recent, {{geological range|3.6|0|ref=<ref name="Rio2021">{{cite journal |last1=Rio |first1=Jonathan P. |last2=Mannion |first2=Philip D. |date=6 September 2021 |title=Phylogenetic analysis of a new morphological dataset elucidates the evolutionary history of Crocodylia and resolves the long-standing gharial problem |journal=[[PeerJ]] |volume=9 |pages=e12094 |pmid=34567843|  doi=10.7717/peerj.12094| pmc=8428266  |doi-access=free}}</ref>}}
| status = CR
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Jiang, H.-X. |author2=Wu, X. |date=2018 |title=''Alligator sinensis'' |volume=2018 |page=e.T867A3146005 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T867A3146005.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A1
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices |url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=CITES}}</ref>
| image = China-Alligator.jpg
| image_alt = A Chinese alligator in short grass
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Alligator sinensis
| authority = ([[Albert-Auguste Fauvel|Fauvel]], 1879)
| range_map = The_range_of_the_Chinese_Alligator.png
| range_map_caption = Chinese alligator range (in Black)
| synonyms = * {{lang|la|Caigator sinensis}} {{small|[[Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala|Deraniyagala]], 1947}}<ref name="DNA">{{cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Ziaobang |last2=Zhou |first2=Kaiya |last3=Wang |first3=Yiquan |last4=Zhu |first4=Weiquan |title=Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of Chinese alligator, Alligator sinensis, and phylogeny of crocodiles |journal=[[Chinese Science Bulletin]] |volume=48 |issue=19 |date=October 2003 |pages=2050–2054 |doi= 10.1360/03wc0076 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227309067 |access-date=December 20, 2018|bibcode=2003ChSBu..48.2050W |s2cid=86890007 }}</ref>
}}

The '''Chinese alligator''' ('''{{lang|la|Alligator sinensis}}'''; {{zh|s=鼍|t={{linktext|鼉}}|p=tuó}}),<ref name="undp">{{cite news |title=The largest group of Chinese alligators released to the wild |url=http://www.cn.undp.org/content/china/en/home/presscenter/articles/2016/06/08/the-largest-group-of-chinese-alligators-returns-to-the-wild.html |access-date=April 23, 2017 |work=[[UNDP]] in China |date=June 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424090326/http://www.cn.undp.org/content/china/en/home/presscenter/articles/2016/06/08/the-largest-group-of-chinese-alligators-returns-to-the-wild.html |archive-date=April 24, 2017 |url-status=live  }}</ref> also known as the '''Yangtze alligator''' ({{zh|s=扬子鳄|t={{linktext|揚子|鱷}}|p=yángzǐ'è}}), '''China alligator''',<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> or historically the '''muddy dragon''',<ref name="latimes">{{cite news |last1=Perry |first1=Tony |title=San Diego Zoo gets two Chinese alligators in preservation effort |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2012-jul-04-la-me-gators-20120704-story.html |access-date=December 9, 2018 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]  |date=July 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319002234/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/04/local/la-me-gators-20120704 |archive-date=March 19, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> 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 {{convert|5|–|7|ft|m|order=flip}} in length and weighs {{convert|80|–|100|lb|kg|order=flip}} as an adult. It [[brumate]]s in [[burrow]]s 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|date=May 2020}} 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.

== History and taxonomy ==
The oldest definitive record of the Chinese alligator is from the late [[Pliocene]] of Japan, around 3 million years old.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Iijima|first1=Masaya|last2=Takahashi|first2=Keiichi|last3=Kobayashi|first3=Yoshitsugu|date=July 2016|title=The oldest record of Alligator sinensis from the Late Pliocene of Western Japan, and its biogeographic implication|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1367912016300943|journal=Journal of Asian Earth Sciences|language=en|volume=124|pages=94–101|doi=10.1016/j.jseaes.2016.04.017|bibcode=2016JAESc.124...94I }}</ref> [[Pleistocene]] fossils show that its range was once much more extensive, extending northwards to [[Shandong]] and southwards to the [[Taiwan Strait]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hsi-yin|first1=Shan|last2=Yen-nien|first2=Cheng|last3=Xiao-chun|first3=Wu|date=June 2013|title=The first fossil skull of Alligator sinensis from the Pleistocene, Taiwan, with a paleogeographic implication of the species|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1367912012002428|journal=Journal of Asian Earth Sciences|language=en|volume=69|pages=17–25|doi=10.1016/j.jseaes.2012.05.026|bibcode=2013JAESc..69...17H }}</ref>

Chinese alligators were mentioned in [[Chinese literature]] very early; for example, in the [[Classic of Poetry]],<ref>''Shijing'' "Major Hymns - Decade of King Wen - [https://ctext.org/book-of-poetry/ling-tai Numinous Terrace]" quote: "鼉鼓逢逢、朦瞍奏公。" translation: "The alligator-drums rumble and grumble; while the tunes are played by the blind musicians' ensemble."</ref><ref>Schuessler, Axel (2007) ''An Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese''. University of Hawaii Press. p. 505</ref> whose poems were composed between the 11th and 7th centuries BCE.<ref>Allan, Sarah (1991), ''The Shape of the Turtle: Myth, Art, and Cosmos in Early China'', SUNY Press. p. 39</ref><ref>Baxter, William (1992). ''A Handbook of Old Chinese Phonology'', Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. p. 356</ref> [[Marco Polo]] was the first person outside of China to write about the alligator, when he came to China and saw it in the late 1200s.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=34}} He said that the alligator lived in "caverns" in the day and hunted at night, and that humans targeted its meat and skin, with its gall bladder having multiple medical purposes. He stated that it was found in lakes, rivers, and springs in the province "Karazan". In 1656, [[Martino Martini]], a priest, wrote that the Chinese alligator lived in the river [[Yangtze]] and was "much feared by the local residents".{{sfn|Neill|1971|pp=293–294}} Unlike Polo, Martini wrote his description using information from Chinese literature.<ref name="proceedings"/> Chinese alligators were later thought to give Buddhist priests merit if the priests were to buy alligators held in captivity and release them.{{sfn|Neill|1971|pp=293–294}} In 1869, [[Robert Swinhoe]] saw a Chinese alligator in an exhibit in [[Shanghai]] and wrote the following year:

{{quote|In February, 1869, some Chinese were exhibiting in the native city of Shanghai what they called a dragon, which they declared had been dug out of a hole in the province of Shense. It was a young crocodile about four feet long, which they kept in tepid water. They made so much money by showing it that they refused to sell it. I can not, of course, guess its species; but I nevertheless think the fact worth recording, as evidence that a species of this group does occur in China.<ref name="proceedings"/>}}

=== Classification ===
The Chinese alligator was [[scientific description|scientifically described]] by French naturalist [[Albert-Auguste Fauvel]] in 1879 as ''Alligator sinensis''; though Fauvel only noticed mentions of them in Chinese literature since about 222–227 CE.{{sfn|Neill|1971|pp=293–294}}<ref name="proceedings">{{cite journal |last1=Barbour |first1=Thomas |title=A Note regarding the Chinese Alligator |journal=[[Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia]] |date=April–September 1910 |volume=62 |issue=2 |pages=464–467 |jstor=4063434 }}</ref> The genus ''[[Alligator]]'' had previously contained only the [[American alligator]] since its creation in 1807.<ref name="itis">{{cite web |title=Alligator |url=https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=174366#null |website=[[Integrated Taxonomic Information System]] |access-date=January 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126000822/https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=174366#null |archive-date=January 26, 2019 |url-status=live  }}</ref> Fauvel wrote a detailed description of the species in a book titled ''Alligators in China: Their History, Description & Identification'',{{sfn|Fauvel|1879|p=33}} including information about its historical account.<ref name="proceedings"/> In 1947, it was suggested to group the Chinese alligator in a separate genus from its American relative, due to the Chinese alligator's bony plate on its upper eyelid. This bony plate is present in [[caimans]], but is rarely present in the American alligator. At the time, the plate was thought to not appear in the American alligator at all. This produced the belief that the Chinese alligator's relationship with other crocodilians was between caimans and American alligators. [[Paulus Edward Pieris Deraniyagala]] described the genus ''Caigator'' the same year, which only contained the Chinese alligator, making its scientific name ''Caigator sinensis''. However, paleontology has shown that the Chinese alligator has evolved from other now-extinct members of the genus ''Alligator''. This and the fact that the American alligator does infrequently have a bony plate on its eyelid have caused ''Caigator sinensis'' to now be classified as a [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] of ''Alligator sinensis''.{{sfn|Neill|1971|pp=293–294}} There is still not a consensus among biologists that the American and Chinese alligators belong to the same genus, despite multiple studies comparing the biochemistry, histology, and various other aspects of the two crocodilians.<ref name="dna">{{cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Xiaobing |last2=Wang |first2=Yiquang |last3=Zhou |first3=Kaiya |last4=Zhu |first4=Weiquan |last5=Nie |first5=Jishan |last6=Wang |first6=Chaolin |title=Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of Chinese alligator, Alligator sinensis, and phylogeny of crocodiles |journal= Chinese Science Bulletin|date=October 2003 |volume=48 |issue=19 |pages=2050–2054 |doi=10.1360/03wc0076 |bibcode=2003ChSBu..48.2050W |s2cid=86890007 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227309067 |access-date=March 27, 2019}}</ref>

The evolutionary relationships of alligators can be shown in the [[cladogram]] below:<ref name=PanamaCrocs>{{Cite journal | last1 = Hastings | first1 = A. K. | last2 = Bloch | first2 = J. I. | last3 = Jaramillo | first3 = C. A. | last4 = Rincon | first4 = A. F. | last5 = MacFadden | first5 = B. J. | title = Systematics and biogeography of crocodylians from the Miocene of Panama | doi = 10.1080/02724634.2012.713814 | journal = Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology | volume = 33 | issue = 2 | pages = 239 | year = 2013 | bibcode = 2013JVPal..33..239H | s2cid = 83972694 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name=NecrosuchusRev>{{Cite journal | last1 = Brochu | first1 = C. A. | doi = 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00716.x | title = Phylogenetic relationships of Necrosuchus ionensis Simpson, 1937 and the early history of caimanines | journal = Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society | volume = 163 | pages = S228–S256 | year = 2011 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
{{clade| style=font-size:85%;line-height:85%
|label1='''[[Alligatoridae]]'''
|1={{clade
 |1='''[[Caimaninae]]'''
 |label2='''[[Alligatorinae]]'''
 |2={{clade
  |1=''[[Ceratosuchus burdoshi]]''{{extinct}}
  |2=''[[Hassiacosuchus haupti]]''{{extinct}}
  |3=''[[Navajosuchus mooki]]''{{extinct}}
  |4={{clade
   |1=''[[Wannaganosuchus brachymanus]]''{{extinct}}
   |2=''[[Arambourgia gaudryi]]''{{extinct}}
   |3={{clade
    |1=''[[Allognathosuchus polyodon]]''{{extinct}}
    |2=''[[Allognathosuchus wartheni]]''{{extinct}}
    |3=''[[Procaimanoidea kayi]]''{{extinct}} }}
   |label4=''[[Alligator]]''
   |4={{clade
    |1=''[[Alligator prenasalis]]''{{extinct}}
    |2={{clade
     |1=''[[Alligator mcgrewi]]''{{extinct}}
     |2={{clade
      |1=''[[Alligator olseni]]''{{extinct}}
      |2={{clade
       |1=''Alligator sinensis'' '''Chinese alligator'''
       |2={{clade
        |1=''[[Alligator thomsoni]]''{{extinct}}
        |2=''[[Alligator mefferdi]]''{{extinct}}
        |3=''Alligator mississippiensis'' '''[[American alligator]]''' }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

=== Etymology ===
The genus, ''Alligator'', is based on the Spanish word {{lang|es|el lagarto}}. The [[specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''sinensis'', is from the Latin plural possessive {{lang|la|sinaensis}}, meaning "belonging to China".<ref name="crocsp">{{cite web |title=Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis) |url=http://crocodilian.com/cnhc/csp_asin.htm |website=Crocodilians: Natural History & Conservation |access-date=January 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111225123829/http://crocodilian.com/cnhc/csp_asin.htm |archive-date=December 25, 2011 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

== Description ==
[[File:Chinese+american alligators.png|thumb|left|alt=A black and white image of the American alligator and the Chinese alligator next to each other|Comparison of the American alligator (top) and the Chinese alligator (bottom)]]
[[File:ChineseAlligator.jpg|thumb|left|alt=An up-close view of the left side of the Chinese alligator's head|Detail of head]]
One of the smallest species of crocodilians, the Chinese alligator attains a length of {{convert|5|–|7|ft|m|order=flip}} and weight of {{convert|80|–|100|lb|kg|order=flip}} as an adult.<ref name="latimes"/> Females are roughly three-quarters the length of males.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=72}} It is less than half the size of the American alligator, which typically grows to a length of {{convert|11.2|ft|m|order=flip}} for males and {{convert|8.2|ft|m|order=flip}} for females.<ref name="nationalzooamerican">{{cite web |title=American alligator |url=https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/american-alligator |website=Smithsonian's National Zoo |access-date=December 12, 2018 |date=April 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106014139/https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/american-alligator |archive-date=November 6, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> Reports are known of alligators in China reaching {{convert|3|m|ft|0}} in past centuries, but these are no longer thought to be accurate.<ref name="crocsp"/> The largest reported female measured {{convert|2.07|m|ftin}} and weighed {{convert|50|kg|lb}}, while the largest reported male measured {{Convert|2.46|m|ftin}} and weighed {{Convert|84|kg|lb}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thorbjarnarson |first1=John B. |title=The Chinese alligator : ecology, behavior, conservation, and culture |date=2010 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore, Md. |isbn=9780801893483 |pages=94 |url=https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/9872/chinese-alligator}}</ref>

The Chinese alligator is almost completely black or dark gray in color as an adult.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=72}} It has a short and broad snout,{{sfn|Grigg|2015|p=6}} which points slightly upwards and narrows at the end. Its head is robust, more so than that of the American alligator,<ref name="stl">{{cite web |title=Chinese Alligator |url=https://www.stlzoo.org/animals/abouttheanimals/reptiles/alligatorsandcrocodiles/chinesealligator |website=Saint Louis Zoo |access-date=December 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508032423/http://www.stlzoo.org/animals/abouttheanimals/reptiles/alligatorsandcrocodiles/chinesealligator |archive-date=May 8, 2016 |url-status=live  }}</ref> with a bony septum dividing its nostrils.{{sfn|Grigg|2015|p=6}} It has 72–76 teeth, of which 13–14 are [[maxilla]]ry, five [[premaxillary]], and 18–19 [[mandibular]].<ref name="crocsp"/> Four specimens measuring {{Cvt|1.4|to(-)|1.55|m|ftin}} in length and weighing {{Cvt|12|-|15|kg|lb}} had a bite force of {{Cvt|894|-|1357|N|lk=on}}.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Erickson |first1=Gregory M. |last2=Gignac |first2=Paul M. |last3=Steppan |first3=Scott J. |last4=Lappin |first4=A. Kristopher |last5=Vliet |first5=Kent A. |last6=Brueggen |first6=John D. |last7=Inouye |first7=Brian D. |last8=Kledzik |first8=David |last9=Webb |first9=Grahame J. W. |title=Insights into the Ecology and Evolutionary Success of Crocodilians Revealed through Bite-Force and Tooth-Pressure Experimentation |journal=PLOS ONE |date=14 March 2012 |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=e31781 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0031781 |pmid=22431965 |pmc=3303775 |bibcode=2012PLoSO...731781E |doi-access=free }}</ref> Unlike the American alligator, the Chinese alligator is fully [[Armour (anatomy)|armored]],<ref name="latimes"/> including its belly.<ref name="nationalzoo">{{cite web |title=Chinese alligator |url=https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/chinese-alligator |website=Smithsonian's National Zoo |access-date=December 9, 2018 |date=April 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209125329/https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/chinese-alligator |archive-date=December 9, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> It contains up to 17 rows of scales across its body, which are soft on its belly and side and rougher on its back. Its upper eyelids have bony plates on them, a feature usually not present in the American alligator.{{sfn|Neill|1971|pp=293–294}} Its tail is wider than that of the American alligator. It does not have [[webbed feet]], in contrast to the American alligator, which has extensive webbing on its toes.{{sfn|Grigg|2015|p=6}}

== Ecology ==
The Chinese alligator [[brumate]]s{{efn|A form of dormancy similar to [[hibernation]] that is exhibited by reptiles}} in [[burrow]]s during winter.<ref name="stl"/> After this period of dormancy, it frequently spends time in the sun before summer begins.<ref name="stl"/> It is [[nocturnal]] throughout summer, feeding at night and sheltering in the daytime, to avoid both humans and the summer heat.<ref name="nationalzoo"/> This behavior gives it the ability to live in areas where humans are common.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> A docile species, it generally does not intentionally hurt humans.<ref name="latimes"/>

=== Burrowing ===
This alligator brumates from late October to mid-April, emerging in early May. It constructs its burrows next to ponds and other small bodies of water, using its head and front legs to dig into the ground.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=72}} They can be large and complex, containing multiple rooms, water pools, and entrances.<ref name="nationalzoo"/> Most of them are {{convert|10|–|25|m|ft}} long, with each room having enough space for alligators to turn around after entering. Outside of winter, the burrows serve as retreat sites for the alligators{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=72}} and in summer are where they take shelter in the daytime.<ref name="nationalzoo"/> The temperature inside them is never colder than {{convert|10|C|F}}.<ref name="crocsp"/> The burrows can be problematic for farmers, as they cause destruction of farm dykes.{{sfn|Ross|1998|p=12}}

=== Life cycle ===
The [[breeding season]] of the Chinese alligator is early summer,<ref name="nationalzoo"/> with the rate of mating being highest in mid-June.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=72}} The alligator breeds earlier in the year if temperatures are higher.<ref name="climate">{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=F. |last2=Li |first2=Y. |last3=Guo |first3=Z. |last4=Murray |first4=B. R. |title=Climate warming and reproduction in Chinese alligators |journal=Animal Conservation |date=March 20, 2009 |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=128–137 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00232.x|bibcode=2009AnCon..12..128Z |s2cid=86658715 }}</ref> During the time of mating, males commonly search around ponds to find a mate{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=72}} and both male and female specimens are often aggressive to each other.<ref name="nationalzoo"/> The species exhibits [[Animal sexual behaviour#Polygamy|polygamy]], with single males mating with multiple females and/or a single female mating with several males. A study of 50 clutches showed multiple paternity in 60% of them, with up to three males contributing.<ref name="paternity">{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Huan |last2=Yan |first2=Peng |last3=Zhang |first3=Shengzhou |last4=Sun |first4=Long |last5=Ren |first5=Min |last6=Xue |first6=Hui |last7=Zhang |first7=Fang |last8=Wu |first8=Rong |last9=Wu |first9=Xiaobing |title=Multiple paternity: A compensation mechanism of the Chinese alligator for inbreeding |journal=[[Animal Reproduction Science]] |date=December 2017 |volume=187 |pages=124–132 |doi=10.1016/j.anireprosci.2017.10.016|pmid=29103625 }}</ref> Nests are typically built about 2–3 weeks after mating,<ref name="nationalzoo"/> from July to late August.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> Constructed by the females, they are composed of rotting plants, such as leaves, and are {{convert|40|–|70|cm|in}} high.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=73}} Females prefer to assemble them in areas that have a thick canopy and are far from human disturbance. Because islands frequently satisfy both of these conditions, they are often used as nesting sites.<ref name="nest site">{{cite journal |last1=Jianjun |first1=Wang |last2=Wu |first2=Xiaobing |last3=Dawei |first3=Tian |last4=Jialong |first4=Zhu |title=Nest-site Use by the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis) in the Gaojingmiao Breeding Farm, Anhui, China |journal=Asian Herpetological Research |date=January 2011 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=36–40 |doi=10.3724/sp.j.1245.2011.00036}}</ref> Nests are always near water sources.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=73}} Individuals often return to the same nesting site yearly, although [[intraspecific competition]] and environmental changes can force them to change nesting sites.<ref name="nest site"/>

Generally laid at night,<ref name="reproductive">{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Fang |last2=Messenger |first2=Kevin |last3=Wang |first3=Yong |title=Relationship between nest defence behaviours and reproductive benefits in Chinese alligators |journal=Amphibia-Reptilia |date=2015 |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=141–147 |doi=10.1163/15685381-00002990|doi-access=free }}</ref> mating typically produces 20–30 eggs,{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=121}} although according to the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN), clutch size ranges between 10 and 40 eggs.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> After the eggs are laid, the females sometimes leave the nest, but other times stay to protect the eggs.<ref name="reproductive"/> The eggs are about {{convert|6|cm|in|1}} in length, {{convert|3.5|cm|in|2}} in diameter, and {{convert|45|g|2}} in weight, making them smaller than the eggs of any other crocodilian.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=121}} They are typically [[egg incubation|incubated]] for about 70 days.<ref name="crocsp"/> On average, the temperature of incubation is {{convert|25|–|26|C|F}}, including the day and night.<ref name="nesttemperature">{{cite journal |last1=He |first1=L. J. |last2=Wang |first2=X. M. |last3=Ding |first3=Y. Z. |last4=Shao |first4=M. |last5=Wang |first5=G. H. |last6=Xie |first6=W. S. |last7=Thorbjarnarson |first7=J. |title=Influence of temperature on egg incubation of the wild Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) |journal=Dong Wu Xue Bao |date=January 1, 2012 |volume=3 |issue=48 |pages=420–424 |url=https://europepmc.org/abstract/cba/374577 |access-date=February 17, 2019}}</ref> This temperature controls whether a young alligator will be male or female ([[temperature-dependent sex determination]]),{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=73}} a feature present in many other reptiles. A higher incubation temperature also increases the hatching rate.<ref name="nesttemperature"/> Young hatch in September,{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=73}} assisted by their mothers.<ref name="stl"/>

Newborn alligators, like their eggs, are the smallest of any [[crocodilia]]n, with a length of {{convert|20-22|cm|in|2}} and weight of {{convert|25-30|g|oz|2}}.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=97}} Unlike adults, they have light speckles on their bodies and heads.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=72}} Mothers help them leave the nest and bring them to the water after hatching.<ref name="stl"/> They grow very little in their first year, due to being able to feed for only about 2 months after hatching before the winter.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=97}} A 2002 study showed that the Chinese alligator is two-thirds the length of the American alligator and one-half its weight at birth, but is one-half its length and one-tenth its weight after one year.<ref name="herbert">{{cite journal |last1=Herbert |first1=J. D. |last2=Coulson |first2=T. D. |last3=Coulson |first3=R. A. |title=Growth rates of Chinese and American alligators |journal=Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology |date=April 2002 |volume=131 |issue=4 |pages=909–916 |doi=10.1016/S1095-6433(02)00027-2|pmid=11897202 }}</ref> Young depend on their mothers to protect them during their first winter, as their small size makes them an easy prey target.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=97}}

The alligator grows quickly in its first few years, with its growth rate slowing at age five.{{sfn|IUCN|1982|p=284}} According to the [[National Zoological Park (United States)|National Zoological Park]], females reach maturity roughly four to five years after birth,<ref name="nationalzoo"/> although other sources estimate that they mature at age six to seven.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=73}} It can live to over 50 years,{{sfn|IUCN|1982|p=284}} and has been known to reach age 70 in captivity. It cannot breed past its 50s.<ref name="nationalzoo"/>

=== Feeding ===
The Chinese alligator is an [[opportunistic feeder]], meaning that it can prey on a variety of different animals depending on what is available. It is a [[carnivore]], mostly eating fish and invertebrates, such as [[crustaceans]], [[insects]], [[mussel]]s, [[clam]]s, and [[snails]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crocodilian Species - Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis) |url=https://crocodilian.com/cnhc/csp_asin.htm |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=crocodilian.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Alligator_sinensis/ | title=Alligator sinensis (Chinese alligator, T'o, Yow Lung, Yangtze alligator) | website=[[Animal Diversity Web]] }}</ref> When possible, it eats [[rodents]], other small [[mammal]]s, and [[aquatic birds]] as well.<ref name="nationalzoo"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Alligator_sinensis/ | title=Alligator sinensis (Chinese alligator, T'o, Yow Lung, Yangtze alligator) | website=[[Animal Diversity Web]] }}</ref> It has dull teeth, which allow it to eat prey with shells more easily.<ref name="latimes"/> There is some speculation that they may prey on [[turtle]]s as well.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Alligator_sinensis/ | title=Alligator sinensis (Chinese alligator, T'o, Yow Lung, Yangtze alligator) | website=[[Animal Diversity Web]] }}</ref> A study of the alligator in 1985 showed that snails were the most common animal in its diet at 63%, with 65% of that being river snails and 35% spiral-shelled snails. According to the survey, its diet also contained 16% [[rabbits]], 8.3% [[mollusks]], and 4.1% [[shrimp]], with the remaining 6.8% being frogs, fish, and insects.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=73}}

=== Vocalization ===
The Chinese alligator is a vocal species, making many different sounds in multiple situations.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=103}} When communicating with nearby alligators, it produces sounds such as head slapping, hissing, and whining, which have a low [[sound pressure level]] (SPL). To communicate long-distance, it produces bellows, which have a high SPL. All of these sounds have a low frequency of less than 500 [[hertz]], due to the alligator's densely vegetated habitat, which allow the sounds to spread across a greater area.<ref name="acoustic">{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Xianyan |title=Acoustic signals of Chinese alligators (Alligator sinensis): Social communication |journal=[[Journal of the Acoustical Society of America]] |date=May 4, 2007 |volume=121 |issue=5 |pages=2984–2989 |doi=10.1121/1.2714910|pmid=17550196 |bibcode=2007ASAJ..121.2984W }}</ref>

Both sexes participate in bellowing choruses during the mating season as adults. Lasting an average of 10 minutes, the alligators remain still for the entirety of the chorus, with both sexes responding equally in rough unison.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Xianyan |display-authors=et al |year=2009 |title=Why do Chinese alligators (Alligator sinensis) form bellowing choruses: A playback approach |url=http://ir.ihb.ac.cn/handle/152342/7546 |journal=The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America |volume=126 |issue=4 |pages=2082–7 |doi=10.1121/1.3203667 |pmid=19813817 |bibcode=2009ASAJ..126.2082W |access-date=December 15, 2018 |archive-date=December 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216120510/http://ir.ihb.ac.cn/handle/152342/7546 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The main purpose of these bellows is to call out to alligator specimens to collect at a specific pond, where individuals choose mates and engage in copulation.<ref name="congregative">{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Xianyan |last2=Wang |first2=Ding |last3=Wang |first3=Xiaobing |last4=Wang |first4=Renping |last5=Wang |first5=Chaolin |title=Congregative effect of Chinese alligator's bellowing chorus in mating season and its function in reproduction |journal=Dong Wu Xue Bao |date=January 1, 2006 |volume=52 |issue=4 |pages=663–668 |url=https://europepmc.org/abstract/cba/623599 |access-date=February 18, 2019}}</ref> Alligators may also bellow to publicize their size, a behavior which occurs in multiple other vertebrates. The size of a specimen is a significant factor for mating; females only mate with males larger than themselves.<ref name="heliox">{{cite journal |last1=Reber |first1=Stephan A. |last2=Nishimura |first2=Takeshi |last3=Janisch |first3=Judith |last4=Robertson |first4=Mark |last5=Fitch |first5=W. Tecumseh |title=A Chinese alligator in heliox: formant frequencies in a crocodilian |journal=[[Journal of Experimental Biology]] |volume=218 |issue=15 |date=2015 |pages=2442–2447 |doi=10.1242/jeb.119552|pmid=26246611 |pmc=4528706 }}</ref> Bellowing is most common at 6:00–7:00 am and 11:00–12:00 am [[Time in China|CST]].<ref name="congregative"/> Although these bellows occur most frequently during the mating season, adults also bellow throughout the rest of the year.<ref name="heliox"/>

Young Chinese alligators often communicate with each other and their parents using vocal signals to "maintain group cohesion". Young also make sounds when in danger, which alert adults to help and caution nearby young of the threat. Embryos produce distinctive sounds inside their eggs, which alert the adult female that the nest is ready to be opened. These vocalizations are high-pitched, while their danger calls are louder.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=103}}

== Distribution and population ==
The modern range of the Chinese alligator is extremely restricted. Historically, the alligator was widely distributed in the Yangtze river system. By the late 1980s, it was restricted to small ponds in six counties in the southeastern part of [[Anhui]] province; and since of 2015, the [[IUCN]] estimates the area of occupation at about {{convert|5|km2|mi2}}.<ref name="reproductive"/><ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> It is the only species in the family Alligatoridae that lives in the Eastern Hemisphere.<ref name="nationalzoo"/>

=== Habitat ===
[[File:Alligator sinensis at Beijing Zoo.JPG|thumb|left|alt=The Chinese alligator in water, mostly submerged|The habitat of the Chinese alligator is fresh water bodies, as pictured.]]
The habitat of the Chinese alligator is bodies of fresh water, particularly wetlands and ponds,<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> in areas transitioning between subtropical and temperate climates.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=72}} It lives at the base of mountains, in areas where grass and shrubs are common.<ref name="reproductive"/> Habitat loss has also forced it to live at higher elevations than it prefers, where the weather is colder and the soil is unfit for burrow digging. Crocodilian conservationist [[John Thorbjarnarson]] observed a female who had to build her nest of pine needles rather than the usual plants; the eggs died due to the pine needles not being able to warm them properly.<ref name="nyt"/>

=== Population and range trend ===
The oldest record of the Chinese alligator is a skeleton fragment found in western Japan. The fossil is estimated to be from the late [[Pliocene]] period, 3&nbsp;million years ago (Mya). The skeleton showed that the species was larger at the time than it is currently, with a total length of at least {{convert|2|m|ft}}. Alligators are believed to have moved into various parts of Japan either before 25 Mya or after 10 Mya and were [[extirpated]] from there during the [[Plio-Pleistocene]] period, due to Japan's increased isolation from the continent and harsh climate conditions.<ref name="oldest">{{cite journal |last1=Iijima |first1=Masaya |last2=Takahashi |first2=Keiichi |last3=Kobayashi |first3=Yoshitsugu |year=2016 |title=The oldest record of ''Alligator sinensis'' from the Late Pliocene of Western Japan, and its biogeographic implication |journal=Journal of Asian Earth Sciences |volume=124 |pages=94–101 |doi=10.1016/j.jseaes.2016.04.017 |bibcode=2016JAESc.124...94I }}</ref>

The population of the Chinese alligator began to decline in 5000 BC, when human civilization started to grow in China, after having been very abundant in the lower [[Yangtze]] area.<ref name="wcs">{{cite web |last1=Thorbjarnarson |first1=John |title=Chinese Alligator |url=https://china.wcs.org/Wildlife/Chinese-Alligator.aspx |website=[[Wildlife Conservation Society]] |access-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214065324/https://china.wcs.org/Wildlife/Chinese-Alligator.aspx |archive-date=December 14, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> This area was one of the first places in the world to farm rice, causing much of the alligator's habitat to be destroyed in favor of rice farms.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last1=Yoon |first1=Carol Kaesuk |title=Rare Alligator Is Threatened As China Feeds Its People |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/21/science/rare-alligator-is-threatened-as-china-feeds-its-people.html |access-date=December 9, 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]]  |date=August 21, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209212925/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/21/science/rare-alligator-is-threatened-as-china-feeds-its-people.html |archive-date=December 9, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> In the 1700s, much of the Chinese alligator's habitat was replaced with farming fields after a large number of people had moved into the area.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=75}} By the 20th century, its range was reduced to a few small areas around the Yangtze.<ref name="wcs"/> In the 1950s, the alligator was in three distinct areas: the southern area of the Yangtze (Chang Jiang) from [[Pengze]] to the western shore of [[Lake Tai]] (Tai Hu), the mountainous regions of southern Anhui, and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, primarily in lakes, streams, and marshes. By the 1970s, it was restricted to small parts of southern [[Anhui]] and [[Zhejiang]],<ref name="Thorbjarnarson, John 2002">{{cite journal |last1=Thorbjarnarson |first1=John |display-authors=et al |year=2002 |title=Wild populations of the Chinese alligator approach extinction |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=103 |issue=1|pages=93–102 |doi=10.1016/s0006-3207(01)00128-8|bibcode=2002BCons.103...93T }}</ref> at which time the population was about 1,000.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />

In 1998, the population of the Chinese alligator was the lowest it had ever been; the largest area it lived in was a small pond along the Yangtze surrounded by farmland, which held 11 alligators.<ref name="gallagher">{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Sean |title=The Chinese Alligator, A Species On The Brink |url=https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2011/04/26/the-chinese-alligator-a-species-on-the-brink/ |website=[[National Geographic Society]] Newsroom |date=April 26, 2011 |access-date=December 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209213110/https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2011/04/26/the-chinese-alligator-a-species-on-the-brink/ |archive-date=December 9, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> In 1999, the [[Wildlife Conservation Society]] estimated that 130–150 individuals were left in the wild.<ref name="crocsp"/> According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', the population was less than 130 in 2001; at this time, alligators sometimes wandered around to look for a suitable habitat, but were unsuccessful due to their habitat having been turned into rice fields.<ref name="nyt"/> In 2003, the population began to gradually increase after having been roughly stable between 1998 and 2003.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> A survey of the population by the Anhui National Nature Reserve for Chinese Alligator (ANNRCA) in 2005 deduced that between 92 and 114 adults and 66 young remained in the wild.<ref name="daily"/> The survey reasoned that the species' population was growing in four sites, but stable in the rest of the alligator's range.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> A 2012 journal article estimated the population at the time to be 120–150.<ref name="genetics">{{cite journal |last1=Chuanpeng |first1=Nie |last2=Yanyan |first2=Li |last3=Zhao |first3=Juan |last4=Wu |first4=Xiaobing |title=Extremely high major histocompatibility complex class IIb gene intron 2 variation and population structure in Chinese alligator |journal=[[Journal of Genetics]] |date=2012 |volume=93 |pages=86–91 |doi=10.1007/s12041-012-0174-2|s2cid=5765981 }}</ref> A 2015 survey observed 64 individuals, of which 32 were adults, estimating that the total number of adults was 68–86 and the total population 136–173.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> Wang Renping, the head of the ANNRCA, stated in 2017 that about 300 specimens existed in the wild, some of which had been born captive and reintroduced to the wild.<ref name="daily">{{cite news |last1=Lixin |first1=Zhu |title=Efforts continue to save endangered Chinese alligators |url=https://www.chinadailyhk.com/articles/31/201/150/1512983831631.html |access-date=January 6, 2019 |work=[[China Daily]] |date=December 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106104405/https://www.chinadailyhk.com/articles/31/201/150/1512983831631.html |archive-date=January 6, 2019 |url-status=live  }}</ref> As of 2018 the population is not considered to be further declining.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />
Due to the low wild population of the Chinese alligator, high inbreeding is a major concern threatening their chances for long-term survival.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Shangchen |last2=Lan |first2=Tianming |last3=Zhang |first3=Yi |last4=Wang |first4=Qing |last5=Li |first5=Haimeng |last6=Dussex |first6=Nicolas |last7=Sahu |first7=Sunil Kumar |last8=Shi |first8=Minhui |last9=Hu |first9=Mengyuan |last10=Zhu |first10=Yixin |last11=Cao |first11=Jun |last12=Liu |first12=Lirong |last13=Lin |first13=Jianqing |last14=Wan |first14=Qiu-Hong |last15=Liu |first15=Huan |last16=Fang |first16=Sheng-Guo |title=Genomic investigation of the Chinese alligator reveals wild-extinct genetic diversity and genomic consequences of their continuous decline. |journal=[[Molecular Ecology Resources]] |date=January 2023 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=294–311 |doi=10.1111/1755-0998.13702 |pmid=35980602 |pmc=10087395 }}</ref>

=== Reasons for population decline ===
Considered to be one of the most endangered crocodilians in the world,<ref name="wcs"/> the Chinese alligator's biggest threats in the late 20th century were human killing and [[habitat loss]].<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> A majority of the species' [[wetland]] habitats were destroyed to construct [[rice paddies]]<ref name="nyt"/> and dams.<ref name="smithsonianmag">{{Cite web |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-threatened-and-endangered-species-used-in-traditional-medicine-112814487 |title=Ten Threatened and Endangered Species Used in Traditional Medicine |date=October 18, 2011 |work=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |access-date=January 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301170400/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-threatened-and-endangered-species-used-in-traditional-medicine-112814487/ |archive-date=March 1, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref> During the 1970s and 1980s, humans sometimes killed the alligators, because they believed they were pests, out of fear, or for their meat.<ref name="gallagher" /> Their meat was thought to have the ability to cure colds and prevent cancer<ref name="latimes"/><ref name="smithsonianmag"/> and their organs were sold for medicinal purposes.<ref name="crocsp"/> In several restaurants and food centers in China's more prosperous areas, young alligators were allowed to roam free with their mouths taped shut, and were subsequently killed for human consumption,<ref name="ngm">{{cite magazine |last1=Chang |first1=L. T. |last2=Olson |first2=R. |date=May 2008 |title=Gilded Age, Gilded Cage |magazine=[[National Geographic]] }}</ref> served as a dish of rice, vegetables, and chopped up alligator flesh.<ref name="nyt"/> In the late 20th century, people living in the range of the Chinese alligator ate its meat due to believing that it was dragon meat.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=75}}

The Yangtze was flooded in the winter of 1957, which is believed to have caused many Chinese alligators to drown.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=75}} Rats, which this species eat, have been poisoned by farmers, so were also a cause for the diminishing of the species.<ref name="latimes"/> The organochlorine compound [[sodium pentachlorophenate]] was used to kill snails in agricultural fields starting in 1958, which incidentally poisoned the alligators as well.{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=75}} Other factors that led to the endangerment of the alligator include natural disasters and geographic separation.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />

== Status and conservation ==
In its native country, the Chinese alligator has been listed as a Class I endangered species since 1972, which gives it the highest possible degree of legal protection and makes killing or capturing the species in the wild forbidden.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> It is listed as a [[CITES Appendix I]] species<ref name="cites">{{cite web |title=Chinese Alligator |url=https://www.cites.org/eng/gallery/species/reptile/chinese_alligator.html |website=[[CITES]] |access-date=February 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219032052/https://www.cites.org/eng/gallery/species/reptile/chinese_alligator.html |archive-date=February 19, 2019 |url-status=live  }}</ref> and an endangered species by the [[U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service]].<ref name="ecos">{{cite web |title=Species Profile for Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) |url=https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?sId=6602 |website=Environmental Conservation Online System |publisher=[[U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service]] |access-date=March 24, 2019}}</ref> Following six assessments as [[endangered]] from 1982 to 1994, it is classified as [[critically endangered]] on the [[IUCN Red List]] as of 2017.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> In 1982, the Anhui National Nature Reserve for Chinese Alligator (ANNRCA) was created, a reserve spanning across the entire range of the Chinese alligator,<ref name="reproductive"/> now covering an area of {{convert|18,565|ha|acre}}.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />

=== In captivity ===
[[File:2011 China-Alligator 0491.JPG|thumb|left|alt=Two Chinese alligators among rocks|Chinese alligators at [[Shanghai Zoo]]]]
As of 2016, at least 20,000 Chinese alligators{{efn|Over 15,000 in the Anhui Research Center for Chinese Alligator Reproduction (ARCCAR) and 5,500 in the Changxing Nature Reserve and Breeding Center for Chinese Alligators (CNRBRCCA), as well as those living in other facilities<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />}} are living in captivity due to captive-breeding programs, the first initiated in the 1970s.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=10}} Captive-born Chinese alligators have been reintroduced into their native range, boosting the wild population.<ref name="Cinci">{{cite web |url=http://cincinnatizoo.org/animals/chinese-alligator/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402043515/http://cincinnatizoo.org/animals/chinese-alligator/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 2, 2019 |title=Chinese Alligator |website=[[Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden]] |access-date=January 29, 2012 }}</ref> Six specimens were released from captivity in 2007, followed by six more in June 2015.<ref name="mongabay">{{cite news |last1=Dasgupta |first1=Shreya |title=Discovery of baby Chinese alligators boosts hope for rare species |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2016/11/discovery-of-baby-chinese-alligators-boosts-hope-for-rare-species/ |access-date=February 17, 2019 |work=[[Mongabay]] |date=November 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218022242/https://news.mongabay.com/2016/11/discovery-of-baby-chinese-alligators-boosts-hope-for-rare-species/ |archive-date=February 18, 2019 |url-status=live  }}</ref> As of June 2016, the largest group of Chinese alligators to have been released in the wild was when 18 specimens were reintroduced to Langxi County, part of the species' native habitat, on May 22, 2016. These releases have proven successful, with individuals adapting well to a life in the wild and breeding.<ref name="undp"/> A year after the 2007 release, 16 young alligators were found living in the wild. 60 alligator eggs were observed in 2016, distributed in three nests at a wetland park. Although a typhoon in September the same year flooded and eliminated two of the nests, three hatchlings were found in the same area several days after.<ref name="mongabay"/>

==== China ====
The two largest breeding centers for the Chinese alligator are in, or near, the areas where Chinese alligators are still found in the wild. The Anhui Research Center for Chinese Alligator Reproduction (ARCCAR) is the largest of them, housing roughly 15,000 Chinese alligators as of 2016.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> The center is {{convert|5|km|mi}} from the city of [[Xuancheng]],{{efn| {{coord|30|54|30|N|118|46|20|E|display=inline|region:CN-62_type:landmark}}}}{{sfn|Reading|Miller|2000|p=73}} where it makes use of a series of ponds in a small valley.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=195}} Founded in 1979, the ARCCAR was stocked with 212 alligators<ref name="daily"/> collected from the wild over the first decade after its establishment,{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|pp=175–176}} and received alligator eggs collected by the area's residents and the ARCCAR's own staff from the nests of wild alligators as well.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|pp=200–202}} In 1988, the first eggs by human-bred alligators were laid. The reserve decided to reintroduce some of its alligators in the wild in 2001, which was carried out in 2003 when three alligators were released.<ref name="daily"/> The alligator breeding was so successful that the ARCCAR began to use the alligators for local meat consumption and live animals for the European pet market, with the profits from these activities continuing to fund the breeding centers.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=205}}

The other major breeding center for the species is the Changxing Chinese Alligator Nature Reserve (CCANR)<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> or Changxing Nature Reserve and Breeding Center for Chinese Alligators (CNRBRCCA),<ref name="observations">{{cite journal |title=Chinese Alligators: Observations at Changxing Nature Reserve & Breeding Center |first=Victor H. |last=Liu |journal=IRCF Reptiles and Amphibians |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=172–183 |date=December 2013 |doi=10.17161/randa.v20i4.13965 |doi-access=free }}</ref> in [[Changxing County]], Zhejiang, about {{convert|92|km|mi}} east of the ARCCAR.{{efn|{{coord|30|55|15|N|119|44|00|E|display=inline|region:CN-62_type:landmark}}}} Originally known as the Yinjiabian Alligator Conservation Area (尹家边扬子鳄保护区), the breeding center was established in 1982.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=205}}<ref>{{cite web |title=尹家边扬子鳄保护区 |url=http://www.huzhou.gov.cn/art/2008/11/26/art_66_7322.html |date=November 26, 2008 |website=Huzhou Municipal People's Government |language=zh |trans-title=Yinjiabian Chinese Alligator Reserve |access-date=December 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614155342/http://www.huzhou.gov.cn/art/2008/11/26/art_66_7322.html |archive-date=June 14, 2017}}</ref> Unlike the ARCCAR, where alligator eggs are collected by the center's staff for incubation in controlled condition, the CCANR allows eggs to hatch naturally.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|p=195}} According to a 2013 official report,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2013-04/29/content_2393572.htm |title=从抢救保护到放归发展 浙江长兴成功繁殖扬子鳄 |website=China Government Network Central |date=April 29, 2013 |language=zh |trans-title=From rescue and protection to reintroduction development. Changxing in Zhejiang successfully propagated Chinese Alligators |access-date=February 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222225421/http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2013-04/29/content_2393572.htm |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |url-status=live  }}</ref> the CCANR housed almost 4,000 alligators, including 2,089 young (1–3 years old), 1,598 juveniles (4–12 years old), and 248 adults (13+ years old).<ref name="observations"/> By 2016, 5,500 specimens were housed at the center.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />

In 2003, the ARCCAR received a donation of $1.2&nbsp;million from the [[State Forestry and Grassland Administration of China]] (SFGA) and $740,000 from the government of Anhui. This allowed the organization to create two new breeding areas to hold the alligators, {{convert|1.6|ha|acre}} each, as well as heighten the existing fence. The same year, the CCANR received a donation of $600,000 from the SFGA and $800,000 from the government of Changxing, enabling it to reinstate wetlands for the alligators and enhance its facilities.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> Both the ARCCAR and the CCANR position themselves as tourist attractions, where paying visitors can view alligators and learn about them.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|pp=195,198,205}}

Multiple other breeding facilities that house the Chinese alligator exist in various provinces of China, as well as private breeding farms and museums.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />

==== Foreign countries ====
[[File:Alligator sinensis 1zz.jpg|thumb|alt=The Chinese alligator's head and front part of body among grass next to water|The Chinese alligator in the Smithsonian National Zoological Park]]
The Chinese alligator is also kept and bred at many zoos and aquariums in North America and Europe. Some individuals bred there have been returned to China for reintroduction to the wild.<ref name="Cinci"/> The first time the alligators were ever transported internationally is believed to have been when several were taken from China to the United States in the 1950s. In November 2017, four Chinese alligators were transported from their natural habitat in China to [[Shizuoka (city)|Shizuoka]], Japan.<ref name="daily"/>

Among the North American zoos and aquariums keeping this species are the [[Bronx Zoo]],<ref>{{cite news |title=World's Most Endangered Alligator Making a Comeback – in Shanghai |url=https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9363/Worlds-Most-Endangered-Alligator-Making-a-Comeback-in-Shanghai.aspx |access-date=December 10, 2018 |work=[[Wildlife Conservation Society|WCS]] Newsroom |date=October 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211010100/https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9363/Worlds-Most-Endangered-Alligator-Making-a-Comeback-in-Shanghai.aspx |archive-date=December 11, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> [[Cincinnati Zoo]],<ref name="Cinci"/> [[Great Plains Zoo]], [[Sedgwick County Zoo]], [[Philadelphia Zoo]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Chinese alligator |url=https://philadelphiazoo.org/Animals/Reptiles/Crocodiles-Alligators/Chinese-Alligator.aspx |website=Philadelphia Zoo |access-date=December 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210204209/https://philadelphiazoo.org/Animals/Reptiles/Crocodiles-Alligators/Chinese-Alligator.aspx |archive-date=December 10, 2018 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> [[San Diego Zoo]],<ref name="latimes"/> [[Santa Barbara Zoo]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sbzoo.org/animals/list-of-animals/ |title=List of Animals |website=Santa Barbara Zoo |access-date=April 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215121124/https://www.sbzoo.org/animals/list-of-animals/ |archive-date=December 15, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref> [[Smithsonian National Zoological Park]],<ref name="nationalzoo"/> and [[St. Louis Zoo]].<ref name="stl"/> In Europe, about 25 zoos and aquariums keep the species, such as the [[Barcelona Zoo]] (Spain), [[Parque de las Ciencias (Granada) ]] (Spain), [[Bioparco di Roma]] (Italy), [[Crocodile Zoo, Falster|Crocodile Zoo]] (Denmark), [[Moscow Zoo]] (Russia), [[Pairi Daiza]] (Belgium), [[Paradise Wildlife Park]] (England), [[Parken Zoo]] (Sweden), [[Prague Zoo]] (Czech Republic), [[Tallinn Zoo]] (Estonia) and [[Tierpark Berlin]] (Germany).<ref>{{cite web |title=Chinese alligator |url=https://www.zootierliste.de/en/?klasse=3&ordnung=306&familie=30602&art=3050103 |website=Zootierliste |access-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210111008/https://www.zootierliste.de/en/?klasse=3&ordnung=306&familie=30602&art=3050103 |archive-date=December 10, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

== Chinese dragon association ==
[[File:Dragon on a wall in Haikou - 01.jpg|right|thumb|alt=3D artwork of the Chinese dragon on a wall|The Chinese dragon in [[Haikou]], [[Hainan]], China]]
Some writers have suggested that the Chinese alligator was the inspiration for the [[Chinese dragon]].<ref name="stl"/>{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|pp=54–58}} This theory was widespread in the early 1900s, and the idea was later revisited by John Thorbjarnarson and [[Xiaoming Wang (paleontologist)|Xiaoming Wang]].{{sfn|Courtney|2018|p=94}} According to ''The New York Times'', the association with the "beneficent" mythological creature is an advantage for the species.<ref name="nyt"/>

Unlike dragons in myths of the Western Hemisphere, the Chinese dragon is portrayed as a symbol of "royal power and good fortune", frequently helping and saving people. It is able to swim in water or air.<ref name="nyt"/> The relatively harmless nature of the Chinese alligator is believed to have been an influence for the helpful nature of the dragon.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|pp=54–58}} The fact that the alligator ends its brumation when the rainy season begins and returns to its burrows when the rainwater in rivers recedes, as well as the fact that it lives in bodies of water, may be the reason for the dragon's portrayal as a water-related mythological creature.{{sfn|Thorbjarnarson|Wang|2010|pp=54–58}}{{sfn|Courtney|2018|p=94}} [[Alligator drums]] may have been used to simulate the species' vocalizations during the mating season, which humans associated with the dragon's "power of summoning rainclouds".{{sfn|Courtney|2018|p=94}}
{{-}}

== See also ==
* [[Wildlife of China]]
* [[Animal communication]]
* [[Caiman]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Book sources ===
* {{cite book|title=The Chinese Alligator: Ecology, Behavior, Conservation, and Culture|first1=John |last1=Thorbjarnarson |author-link1= John Thorbjarnarson |first2=Xiaoming |last2= Wang |author-link2= Xiaoming Wang (paleontologist) |date=May 17, 2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cxot9NfCs14C |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=978-0-8018-9348-3 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Reading |first1=Richard P. |last2=Miller |first2=Brian |title=Endangered Animals: A Reference Guide to Conflicting Issues |date=2000 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-0313308161 |edition=illustrated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f_AWCtX29-kC |access-date=December 9, 2018}}
* {{cite book |last1=Neill |first1=Wilfred T. |title=The Last of the Ruling Reptiles: Alligators, Crocodiles, and Their Kin |date=1971 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0231032247 |edition=illustrated |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nB1oQgAACAAJ |access-date=December 11, 2018}}
* {{cite book |last1=International Union for Conservation of Nature |title=The IUCN Amphibia-reptilia Red Data Book |date=1982 |isbn=978-2880326012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nw8KKyu32v8C |access-date=February 17, 2019 |ref={{harvid|IUCN|1982}}|author1-link=International Union for Conservation of Nature }}
<!-- * {{cite book |last1=Jiang |first1=H. X. |last2=Manolis |first2=S.C. |last3=Stevenson |first3=C. |title=Chinese Alligator alligator sinensis |date=2010 |publisher=Crocodile Specialist Group: Darwin |edition=3}} -->
* {{cite book |last1=Grigg |first1=Gordon |title=Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians |date=January 15, 2015 |publisher=[[CSIRO Publishing]] |isbn=978-1486300679 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0mYlBgAAQBAJ |access-date=December 16, 2018 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Courtney |first1=Chris |title=The Nature of Disaster in China: The 1931 Yangzi River Flood |date=February 15, 2018 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1108284936 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WqhJDwAAQBAJ |access-date=January 2, 2019 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Fauvel |first1=Albert-Auguste |title=Alligators in China: Their History, Description & Identification |year=1879 |publisher=Celestial Empire office |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qwn43QpI_GkC |access-date=February 16, 2019 }}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Ross |editor1-first=J. P. |title=Crocodiles. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan |year=1998 |publisher=IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group |isbn=2-8317-0441-3 |edition=2 |url=https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/1998-012.pdf |access-date=March 13, 2019 }}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Alligator sinensis}}
* {{Wikispecies inline|Alligator sinensis}}

{{Crocodilia|A.}}
{{Crocs}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q194422}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Alligator]]
[[Category:Endemic fauna of China]]
[[Category:Reptiles of China]]
[[Category:Critically endangered fauna of Asia]]
[[Category:Reptiles described in 1879]]
[[Category:Pleistocene crocodylomorphs]]
[[Category:Pleistocene reptiles of Asia]]
[[Category:Crocodilians of Asia]]
[[Category:Pliocene reptiles of Asia]]
[[Category:Extant Pliocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Critically endangered fauna of China]]