The Life of Animals | Chinese alligator | The Chinese alligator or Alligator is one of two known living species of Alligator, a genus in the family Alligatoridae. The Chinese alligator is native only to China. It is smaller than the other alligator species, the American alligator, growing to an average of 1.5 m (5 ft).
One obvious difference is that the Chinese alligator is quite small. Chinese alligators grow slowly, being only 2 ft (60 cm) long after 2 years of age. The Chinese alligator is listed as a CITES Appendix I species, which puts extreme restrictions on its trade and exportation throughout the world.
Chinese alligators are quite prolific in captivity, with estimates of the total captive population at over 10,000 animals, mostly in the Anhui Research Centre of Chinese Alligator Reproduction and the Madras Crocodile Bank, as well as in numerous zoos, including the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park which has successfully bred the Chinese alligator and has been fortunate enough to release some of the offspring back into the wild in China. They can also be seen in the reptile houses of the Cincinnati Zoo, Memphis Zoo, and St. Louis Zoo In an effort to ensure the species' survival, Chinese alligators hatched at zoos in the United States are being reintroduced into the wild in China
A rare alligator form exists in the cadre of animal forms belonging to Xingyiquan boxing One source states this technique was inspired by the way an alligator can "float and swim well It goes on to say "The alligator’s attribute is a combination of quietness, nimbleness, and a sudden, smooth, and quickly twisting force The character used to represent alligator in this instance is Tuo which is different from the character regularly used to describe both the alligator and crocodile.
