Species of the Day: Chinese Alligator
© Merlijn van Weerd
Species of the Day: Chinese Alligator The Chinese Alligator, Alligator sinensis, is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. One of the smallest and most endangered of the crocodilians, it is restricted to the lower Yangtze valley in the Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces in China.
Geographical range
www.iucnredlist.org www.arkive.org Help Save Species
Habitat destruction has been the major cause of the Chinese Alligator’s decline, and wetland areas continue to be modified for agriculture in an effort to cope with intense human population pressures. There are now estimated to be less than 150 Chinese Alligators remaining in the wild, all of which occur in highly fragmented subpopulations, each comprising no more than 10 individuals. In contrast to the decimated wild population, the breeding of captive Chinese Alligators has been very successful and the captive population currently exceeds 10,000 individuals. Chinese authorities have now begun experimental restocking of wild habitats with captivebred alligators, and are investigating new sites for further reintroductions. The success of the restocking program is likely to be critical to the long-term survival of the Chinese Alligator.
Species of the Day is sponsored by
The production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is made possible through the IUCN Red List Partnership: IUCN (including the Species Survival Commission), BirdLife International, Conservation International, NatureServe and Zoological Society of London.
Species of the Day: Chinese Alligator The Chinese Alligator, Alligator sinensis, is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. One of the smallest and most endangered of the crocodilians, it is restricted to the lower Yangtze valley in the Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces in China.
Geographical range
www.iucnredlist.org www.arkive.org Help Save Species
Habitat destruction has been the major cause of the Chinese Alligator’s decline, and wetland areas continue to be modified for agriculture in an effort to cope with intense human population pressures. There are now estimated to be less than 150 Chinese Alligators remaining in the wild, all of which occur in highly fragmented subpopulations, each comprising no more than 10 individuals. In contrast to the decimated wild population, the breeding of captive Chinese Alligators has been very successful and the captive population currently exceeds 10,000 individuals. Chinese authorities have now begun experimental restocking of wild habitats with captivebred alligators, and are investigating new sites for further reintroductions. The success of the restocking program is likely to be critical to the long-term survival of the Chinese Alligator.
Species of the Day is sponsored by
The production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is made possible through the IUCN Red List Partnership: IUCN (including the Species Survival Commission), BirdLife International, Conservation International, NatureServe and Zoological Society of London.
