Successful artificial breeding of Chinese alligator in Yichang, Hubei Province

Introduction: Xinhua news agency, Wuhan, August 28 (reporter Yang Xingguo) at 9:10 a.m on August 26, after nearly two months of artificial incubation, a 19.5cm long and 25g heavy Chinese alligator was first born in Yichang, a non habitat city in Hubei Province The Chinese alligator, also known as Chinese alligator, Tulong, and hyacinth, belongs to alligator family and its scientific name is Alligator sinensis The total length of the adult alligator can reach about 2 meters The alligator, which grows at the junction of Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu in China, burrows in the rivers and ponds and lives in fierce temperament It feeds on a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and crustaceans It lays eggs from July to August Each nest can lay more than 20 eggs It hatches by natural temperature According to Wang Wei, a breeding engineer of Yichang Chinese sturgeon Research Institute, who undertakes the scientific research project of artificial breeding of Chinese alligator, Chinese alligator is a unique relict species in China It has many physiological relict characteristics and is one of the most endangered species of 23 alligators in the world According to the investigation of scientists from 1997 to 1999, there are only 130 wild alligators distributed in the fragmented living environment in the south of Anhui Province The wild survival and natural development of the alligators are facing a huge threat, and it is difficult to breed under the conditions of artificial breeding The Chinese government has listed the Chinese alligator as a national first-class protected animal and established the Chinese alligator reserve and the Chinese alligator breeding research center In 1980, Chinese alligators produced the first batch of young alligators in China under good environment and careful breeding conditions, which started the success of artificial propagation On June 26 this year, the only female Chinese alligator in the Chinese sturgeon Research Institute began to nest and pile grass, and then laid 21 crocodile eggs Because the temperature beside the mother and the humidity of the sand are not suitable for the natural hatching of alligators, the breeders decided to carry out artificial hatching After careful care of the breeders, a Chinese alligator was finally hatched At present, there are 15 crocodile eggs in the Chinese sturgeon Research Institute, which are under artificial incubation It is expected that more Chinese alligators will be born in the first and middle of September.