Chinese alias: Chinese alligator, alligator, alligator and soil Zhupolong, belong to the alligator is similar, but much smaller size. Adult alligator body length is rarely more than 2.1 meters, only 1.5 meters long. As the alligator and crocodile Thailand are so great. Alligator kiss blunt, belongs to an alligator. Because the Chinese alligator appearance very much like the "dragon", so called "Earth Dragon" or "Zhupolong". Weighing about 36 kg. Their heads are relatively large, with more granular and banded texture on scales.
The body has obvious divisions, divided into head, neck, trunk, limbs and tail. Whole body skin leather is made, cover leather piece, abdomen armour piece is higher. The back is dark brown or dark yellow, the abdomen is gray, tail long and flat, with grey black or grey and yellow lines operation. Its tail is self-defense and attack the enemy's weapons, in the water also play a role in promoting the body forward. Short limbs and strong, one of its forelimbs and a pair of legs are obviously different: forelimb fingers, fingers without webbed; four toed hind, webbed toes. These structural features are suitable for both water and land life.
The tail length and the length. Flat head, snout length, external nares located in the rostral, out valve. The body coat leathery nail plastron, soft; a slice near rectangular, neatly arranged in two columns; the nail projections form two longitudinal body crest. Limbs stout, toes with webbed toe claw. The back of the body is gray brown, gray in front of the abdomen, yellow and gray from the anus. O. The small crocodile is black with yellow stripes. Short kiss and kiss the alligator pure round, the front end has a pair of nostrils. It is interesting that its nostrils have valves open and close. Eye is all black, and the eyelid and film, so the eyes can be open to Chinese alligator closed.
Alligators live in fresh water, love habitat in the lakes, swamp beaches or hilly mountain covered with grass and basil in wet places. It has excellent hole digging ability, head, tail and sharp claws are its hole digging tool. As the saying goes "jiaotusanku", while the Chinese alligator has more than three cave cave. It's often cave with several openings, some place in the beach, reed shore sympodial bamboo, some in the pond bottom, on the ground there is entrance, air vent, and adapt to the water level height of the side hole. Inside the cave are like a labyrinth arranged in a crisscross pattern. Perhaps it is this underground maze to help them overcome the cold ice and cold winter, but also help them to escape predators and survived. To fish, frogs, snails and mussels as food. But sometimes attacked poultry and crushed crops, plus it looks "ugly", has long been regarded as a harmful animal was killed, so the number of rare.
Someone called Alligator Crocodile, is regarded as a kind of aquatic animal fish. In fact, no alligator gills, nor aquatic animal, but the alligator back to the water, forming some water to adapt to the characteristics of life, with amphibious ability. In this way, Chinese alligator would expand the areas of life, which makes them easy to become a winner in the struggle for life.
The Chinese alligator in the side of lake and pond burrowing habitat, ferocious temperament, in a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and crustaceans. June mating, 7 to August spawning, each nest can spawn more than 20. Eggs in the grass, the overlying weeds, mother crocodile is guardian in the side, by the natural temperature of incubation, incubation period is about 60 days. Hibernating habit, every year in October into the cave hibernation, to second years before coming out in April and May activities.
The Chinese alligator like static, daytime seclusion in the cave, foraging at night. But it also comes out during the day, especially in the caves near the shore, beach sun. It often closed his eyes, crawling motionless in a semi sleep state, to give people the illusion of sluggish, but when it is meeting the enemy or to find food, it will immediately be thick tail swinging around hard, quickly sink to the bottom to escape predators or chase food. It is the most favorite food is fish, shrimp, snails, mussels, waterfowl, hare, snakes and other animal. The Chinese alligator eats a lot, the absorption of nutrients are mostly stored in the body, so it will have a strong hunger ability, can through the long period of hibernation.