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Chinese Alligator | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Chinese Alligator

Alligator sinensis

ReptiliaFreshwater ponds, marshes and slow streams in temperate lowlandsCritically Endangered

Field profile

The Chinese alligator is a small crocodilian, rarely exceeding two metres, and one of only two living alligator species. It survives in a fraction of its former Yangtze range. It digs elaborate burrows and spends the cold months dormant inside them, a habit unusual among crocodilians.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-01-12

Chinese Alligator

The Chinese alligator overwinters in its own tunnels

Facing winters cold enough to freeze surface water, this alligator excavates tunnel systems with chambers, air holes and multiple entrances, and spends roughly half the year underground in a dormant state.

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