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Quick Facts
Common name: Chinese alligator or Yangtze alligator
Scientific name: Alligator sinensis
Native home: Yangtze River region of China
Estimated numbers: almost extinct in the wild with fewer than 50 but 10,000 in captivity
Size: adults weigh 40 kilograms and reach 1.5 metres in length but unofficial records show some reach 2m
Choose the correct alternative:
The Chinese alligator is small compared to many of its relatives but it is extremely tough.
This reptile has a heavily armoured body - even its tummy is protected by strong scaly/furry skin. It also has a powerful tail, strong jaws and immensely sharp teeth.
It lives in slow-moving freshwater rivers and streams as well as neighbouring farmland and swamps.
During the cold winters these reptiles retreat into complex burrow systems and hibernate/migrate for up to seven months. Because they are underground and well sheltered, temperatures within these dens rarely fall below 10? C.
The Chinese alligator is vegetarian/carnivorous, catching snails, mussels, fish as well as rats and ducks. They are nocturnal, preferring to hunt at night.
Home Life
Find the antonym (opposite):
Childhood (youth), predator, approximately
Chinese alligators reach maturity when they are about four or five years old.
They mate in the warmest months of the summer, around July.
Like all reptiles, these creatures lay their eggs in nests on land. The Chinese alligator lays between 10 and 50 eggs which hatch after 70 days.
Baby crocodiles start off eating worms and water insects. As they grow older they eat bigger prey, like frogs and fish.
Nobody is sure exactly how long these animals live. Big crocodile species can reach 70 years in the wild and 100 years in zoos but smaller species like the Chinese alligator are thought to live between 40 and 70 years.
Giant Croc
Chinese alligators and  the 22 other crocodile species that includes crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharial living in North and South America, Asia, Africa and the Far East have survived almost unchanged for 200 million years.
Modern crocodilians look the same and probably lived in the same way as their dinosaur ancestors. But in ancient times these reptiles were often a lot bigger.
Among the most fearsome was the 12m long Sarcosuchus Imperator  or 'SuperCroc' that lived in North Africa  about 112 million years ago. If you stood it on its tail, it would be as high as a four-storey building.
Can you imagine meeting one of those when canoeing on a river?
True or False?
Alligators, gharial and caiman are crocodilians.
'SuperCroc' lived in Hong Kong about 112 million years ago.
Crocodilians are very similar to their dinosaur ancestors.
Threats
Find synonyms for these expressions: vanished, farming, hole
With less than 50 left in the wild, Chinese alligators will soon become extinct - unless something is done to help them.
Habitat destruction is the biggest threat. The marshlands that have been their traditional home are being converted into agricultural land. The building of damns on the Yangtze River and diverting of local rivers have also destroyed territory.
The second threat is human. The alligators' burrows cause drainage problems in farmland,  and as these crocodilians enjoy duck, farmers see these rare creatures as a threat. Chinese alligators also die if they catch rats poisoned by farmers.
Although officially protected, poachers hunt them in order to sell their organs to traditional Chinese medicine makers.
fab fact!
Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens have a pair of Chinese alligators. Both born in zoos, the larger one is about four years old and is about 1.3m in length. They are still a bit too young to mate but hopefully they will be nesting soon!
fab fact!
You can tell an alligator from a crocodile by his smile! Alligators differ from crocodiles in having broader snouts. Also, when alligators close their mouths, their upper teeth stick out, whereas crocodiles' teeth stick out from both the top and bottom jaws.
fab fact!
Studies show the crocodile family are extremely intelligent and capable of communicating information. Scientists have recorded some species making more than 20 different calls, signalling information about danger, territory, mating and eggs hatching.
Quiz
Answer the following questions. To test your memory, try answering without referring to the text. If you can't remember the details, read the piece again.
1. Chinese alligators are also called:
a. Yangtze river crocodiles
b. Yangtze scavengers
c. Yangtze alligators
2. Adult Chinese alligators are:
a. about 1.5m long
b. about 2.5m long
c. about 12m long
3. Chinese alligators live in:
a. oceans and brackish water
b. rivers and marshes
c. on agricultural land
4. How many Chinese alligators are left in the wild?
a. about five
b. about 50
c. about 500
5. What do Chinese alligators eat?
a. snails, fish, ducks, rats
b. fish, ducks, rats, people
c. seaweed, fish and jellyfish
6. Scientists say crocodilians:
a. don't communicate much
b. only communicate a little
c. are excellent communicators
Answers
Correct alternatives: scaly, hibernate, carnivorous
Antonyms: maturity, prey, exactly
True or False: T, F, T
Synonyms: extinct, agricultural, burrow
Quiz: 1. c; 2. a; 3. b; 4. b; 5. a; 6. c



Modern dinosaur