It and the American alligator A. Dark gray or black in color with a fully armored body, the Chinese alligator grows to 1. It brumates in burrows in Brumaire , and is nocturnal in summer. Mating occurs in early summer, with females typically 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 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 since adult alligators compete directly with humans for preferred prey and may predate on humans and domestic animals, as well as being valued for hides and for magical uses, humans have extirpated it from much of its original range, [ citation needed ] as well as diminishing its range through habitat destruction.
The population in the wild was about 1, in the s, decreased to below in , and grew after , with its population being about as of 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 appeared in Chinese literature since the third century.
In the late 13th century, Marco Polo became the first European 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.
The oldest definitive record of the Chinese alligator is from the late Pliocene of Japan, around 3 million years old. Chinese alligators were mentioned in Chinese literature very early; for example, in the Classic of Poetry , [ 9 ] [ 10 ] whose poems were composed between the 11th and 7th centuries BCE.
