With the alias of ground dragon, it is a member of the Alligatoridae family of Crocodiliformes order. Its Latin scientific name is Alligator sinensis, and the English name is Chinese Alligator.
The adult Alligator is about 2 meters long with a tail of almost the same length. It has a flat head and a long snout which has external naris with valves at the end. Its body is covered with keratin sclerites, with relatively soft breastplate. The sclerites are in the shape of rectangle and arranged in good order. Two rows of sclerites protuberate, forming two lines of ridges running through from head to tail. Its four limbs are short and thick, with claws on the toe-ends and webs between toes. Its back is dust color and the front of the belly is gray. From propygium rearward, the colors alternate between gray and yellow. The side of its tail is flat. The nascent alligator is black mixed with yellow traverse stripes.
It digs caves on the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds as its living place. Being ferocious, it feeds on various beasts, birds, amphibian, reptiles, fishes and shellfishes. Its mating period is in June and oviposition period is between July and August, with more than 20 eggs each time. It lays eggs in grass and covers them with weeds. Female alligator guards and protects eggs on the side and hatches them with body temperature. The incubation period is about 60 days. It has the habit of hibernation.
Yangtze Alligator is distributed in the bordering areas of China's Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces. Being a specific relict species, Yangtze Alligator has some physiological characteristics of epibiotic, which is also indicated by their discontinuity in distribution.
It has been listed in appendixⅠofInternational Trade Convention on Endangered Wild Plant and Animal Species. Yangtze Alligator natural reserves and propagation research centers have been established in China.
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