The Yangtze alligators have been released into the wild again in Anhui. Would you run away if you see them in the wild?

Recently, the 2023 release of Yangtze alligators into the wild was completed in the Anhui Yangtze Alligator National Nature Reserve, with a total of 200 artificially bred Yangtze alligators released in batches. In 2019, Anhui launched a five-year large-scale release plan to release 1,500 Yangtze alligators. This year is the last year of the five-year release, and a total of 1,608 artificially bred Yangtze alligators have been released.

After seeing this news, some netizens exclaimed: "What should we do if we encounter crocodiles in the wild?"

Let's take you to know about the Chinese alligator, a rare species unique to my country and a national first-class protected wild animal↓

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01

Being timid and fearful is because of poor strength?

The Yangtze alligator mainly lives in the Yangtze River Basin. Compared with most crocodiles, the Yangtze alligator is short in stature, weighing less than 40 kilograms, and generally 150 to 180 centimeters long, with the largest individual being about 246 centimeters long.

The Yangtze alligator has a short and flat snout and a flat tail. The tail is half its length and the dorsal ridges of the tail are saw-like. The tail is both a swimming organ and an attacking weapon , commonly known as "copper head, iron tail, and tofu waist."

Although it is covered with hard armor, it does not look ferocious. Some netizens even joked that "the profile of the Yangtze alligator looks like a puppy."

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Sometimes, the Yangtze alligator makes sounds similar to pig squeals, so they have a more down-to-earth name - Zhupolong .

With its silly appearance and unique cry, the Chinese alligator seems to be an outlier in the crocodile family. Due to the low survival rate of its cubs, coupled with the impact of human activities and climate change, their survival was once very difficult and they were on the verge of extinction.

In order to protect them, Anhui Province, one of the main habitats of the Yangtze alligator, began experimental release activities in 2003. In 2019, based on the summary of the experimental release, a large-scale release plan of 1,500 alligators in five years was officially launched.

This year, the local area carefully selected 200 artificially bred crocodiles with strong physique, distant relatives and reasonable male-female ratio, and all of them were released on June 1.

The staff implanted identification chips in them and installed satellite positioning devices on 46 of them to better monitor their living conditions. The devices were fixed above their tails and had almost no effect on their movements.

When releasing the alligators, don't be too nervous: as soon as the box is opened, they will hide in the water. Previously, there was a scene where an alligator was carried into the water, and some netizens joked: This completely confirmed the title of "national first-class protected waste".

This is inseparable from the gentle but socially anxious character of the Chinese alligator. Although almost all of its "relatives" are "dominant", it is an "outlier" in the crocodile family.

They are sensitive by nature, and if they hear any unusual noises while eating, they will instantly become alert and quickly take the food away.

When they find a stranger approaching and sense that they may be in danger, they will twist their bodies and run away like a gust of wind.

When a stone fell into the pond, they panicked and fled collectively; when they saw the grandmother washing clothes with a mallet and hitting them hard, they wanted to beg for food but dared not get close...

Rumor has it that the only case of a Yangtze alligator injuring a person in China in recent years was caused by someone being frightened and falling after seeing one.

However, the timid Yangtze alligators are not "bad fighters". When they grow up, they can burst out a bite force of 600 kilograms, which is not a problem for them to bite turtle shells and hard bones. Their tails can also easily hit people and leave bloody marks.

Therefore, if you encounter an alligator in the wild, remember not to make noise, do not approach, and certainly do not feed it, to avoid accidents - but the more likely possibility is that they will run away faster than you.

02

Eating and having children are both very "Buddhist"

But spared no effort to repair the house

Compared with the ferocious crocodiles that prey on zebras, wild boars and even cheetahs, the petite Yangtze alligators mainly feed on fish, shrimps, snails, clams and frogs, and sometimes prey on turtles, birds and small mammals.

They launch surprise attacks and take down their prey by "force".

But many times, they also adopt a "sit and wait" hunting method: floating on the water pretending to be a dead tree, and when birds, frogs, etc. stop by, they will slowly sink their bodies, guide the target to move towards their heads, and finally take it down in one fell swoop.

It is worth mentioning that they do not eat or drink for about half a year. When the temperature is continuously below 20℃, the Chinese alligators will stop eating, move slowly, and enter hibernation.

At Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, the Chinese alligator is covered with moss after ending its hibernation.

During the "activity time" of about half a year, they also have the same hobby as humans - basking in the sun . The Yangtze alligator is a cold-blooded animal, with an optimal body temperature of 28-33 degrees Celsius. When the body temperature is lower than this range, they will try to warm themselves up; when the body temperature is too high, they will enter the water to cool themselves down.

Chinese alligators reproduce by laying eggs, and even the sex of their offspring is determined by temperature. They do not have sex chromosomes, and the higher the temperature during incubation, the greater the proportion of male alligators.

They are very keen on infrastructure construction and are veritable "master builders". With their superb digging skills and design talents, their villas are practical and luxurious - usually located on the river bank, with many rooms, complete functions, and multiple emergency exits leading to the pond and the shore.

03

Why should we protect the Yangtze alligator?

The Yangtze alligator is known as a "living fossil" and is regarded as one of the prototypes of the dragon. It was called tuó in ancient times.

The dragon-shaped Gong in the Shanxi Provincial Museum is a representative work of the bronze culture of the "Fangguo" in the late Shang Dynasty. Gong is a wine container with alligator and Kuilong patterns on both sides of the body. The alligator pattern is extremely rare in bronze ware. Alligator is the Yangtze alligator.

However, due to changes in the natural environment and human activities, the habitat of the Chinese alligator has been destroyed, its habitat has shrunk dramatically, and its population has plummeted, making the species extremely endangered. A survey in 2005 estimated that there were less than 120 Chinese alligators in the wild.

As reptiles, they play an important role at the top of the food chain in the wetland ecological chain, and play an important role in maintaining wetland ecology and maintaining species balance.

In order to protect them, my country has established the Yangtze Alligator National Nature Reserve to carry out wild protection and artificial breeding; restore vegetation, purify water quality, create a good living environment for them; arrange patrol officers to carry out continuous monitoring and protection work...

Civilian protection forces are also making efforts. More than 40 years ago, Zhang Jinyin, a villager in Nanling County, Anhui Province, accidentally discovered a wild Yangtze alligator while working in the fields. After reporting it to the relevant departments, he and his wife took on the responsibility of taking care of the Yangtze alligator.

Today, his grandson Zhang Sheng has become the third generation of "crocodile protectors", patrolling every day to protect the Yangtze alligators from being disturbed by the outside world. The local Yangtze alligators have also grown from the original 6 to more than 60.

When he was a child, Zhang Sheng once asked his grandfather: "Grandpa, if I were your age, would there still be alligators in this pond?"

At that time, Zhang Jinyin answered firmly: "Yes, if we protect it well, it will be passed down from generation to generation."

At present, thanks to the efforts of all parties, the number of wild alligators has been steadily increasing. I hope this ancient creature can accompany us forever. All things coexist, let us protect the wonderful creatures on this planet together.

Source: CCTV News