Chinese Alligators are a critically endangered species, with numbers in the wild at a very low level. They're only found naturally in China, and outside of China are notoriously difficult to breed.
Growth Rates
Chinese Alligators grow at an equal rate up until around 4 years of age; the same for both male and females. Up until this point, the annual growth rate is around 17 to 25cm. After the 4th year, growth slows to approxiamately 11 to 14cm per year until 10 years of age for males, and 8 to 11cm per year until 10 years of age in females. After 10 to 15 years, this growth rate slows even more, at 4.7cm per year in males and and just 1.1cm per year in females. When it comes to hatching Chinese Alligators, they have a growing period of around about 2 months and then it becomes too cold so they have to go into the burrows to brumate.
Natural Habitat
The Chinese Alligator species live in Eastern China. Their natural habitat is sub-tropical with a warm climate. As for surroundings, they thrive in the following areas:
- Mash lands
- Swamps
- Ponds & lakes
- Streams & slow flowing rivers
- Ditches
Sadly in 1988, the species' spread across China had been reduced by around 90%. The huge reduction in the number of Chinese Alligators population is largely down to farming and the use of the land for human use. Another cause for the decrease is believed to be when the species feed on rats that have been poisoned and thrown onto wasteland or into water by villagers.
Typical Diet
Previous stomach investigations of the Chinese Alligator species have been found to contain rats, bugs and aquatic molluscs (snails, mussels etc). It is believed their diet mainly consists of:
- River snails
- Spiral-shelled snails
- Rabbits
- Freshwater mussels
- Freshwater shrimps
- Frogs
- Fish
- Larvae & insects
Average Lifespan
Typically, the average life span of the Chinese Alligator depends on whether it's being held in captivity or if it's living in its natural habitat. For those living in the wild, the approximate life span tends to be around 50 years. This is bit of a contrast to those living in captivity, with an average life span of approximately 70 years.