Chinese alligator: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Chinese alligator lives – recorded in 2 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Alligator sinensis
Group	Crocodiles & alligators
Status	Critically endangered (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	2 countries
Continents	Asia, Europe
Class	Reptile
Order	Crocodilia
Family	Alligatoridae

Where does the Chinese alligator live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Chinese alligator in 2 countries and territories across Asia and Europe.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Chinese alligator endangered?

The Chinese alligator’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Critically endangered” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Chinese alligator?

The Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis) is a reptile in the order Crocodilia and the family Alligatoridae, genus Alligator. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Chinese alligator

The Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis; simplified Chinese: 鼍; traditional Chinese: 鼉; pinyin: tuó), also known as the Yangtze alligator (simplified Chinese: 扬子鳄; traditional Chinese: 揚子鱷; pinyin: yángzǐ'è), China alligator, or historically the muddy dragon, 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 1.5–2.1 metres (5–7 ft) in length and weighs 36–45 kilograms (80–100 lb) as an adult. It brumates in burrows 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.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Chinese alligator (revision 1381340082), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q194422 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).