Gentle "cute" beast Yangzi crocodile
The Yangzi crocodile is currently one of the few ancient reptiles on Earth. Historically, they have been distributed in vast areas along the Yellow, Huai, and Yangtze rivers. The Yangzi crocodile in "Huainanzi" is the "thunder god" of Shi Yunbuyu and the dragon head. They have also been killed, eaten, skinned and drummed by humans, and they are found in the literature of almost every dynasty. The Yangzi crocodile, which has experienced several "disasters", has finally entered people's field of vision again today and has become a Chinese "cute" beast.
Lost and regained "treasures"
After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the population of the mainland continued to rise, and human activities had a lot of impact on the living environment of the Yangzi crocodile, and the crocodile roar that could often be heard before gradually disappeared. In modern times, the situation of the Yangzi crocodile does not seem to have improved, and multiple factors such as habitat destruction, human hunting, environmental pollution, and natural disasters have made the situation of the Yangzi crocodile more difficult.
Fortunately, with the enhancement of people's awareness of ecological protection, the mainland has taken many practical measures for the protection of Yangzi crocodiles. In 1979, the national forestry department and the Anhui provincial government jointly established the Yangzi Crocodile Breeding Research Center, and in 1984, the large-scale hatching of the Yangzi crocodile was successful. Since then, the population of Yangzi crocodiles has increased rapidly, and people can see free Yangzi crocodiles again in their daily lives. From 2003 to 2020, a total of 1,038 Yangzi crocodiles were released in mainland China.
The bite force exceeds that of the tiger
During the spring day, the Yangzi crocodile often lies on the reed ground on the shore to bask in the sun for several hours, giving people a lazy and gentle feeling. Some people feed Yangzi crocodiles with snow cakes, and Yangzi crocodiles are just "biting off half of the snow cakes in one bite" and do not cause harm to people. In fact, the Yangzi crocodile has a strong explosive ability. Since its appearance in the continental freshwater basin, the Yangzi crocodile has been at the top of the food chain, and its sharp claws at the ends of its limbs are not only suitable for digging burrows, but also attacking prey.
According to the data, adult Yangzi crocodiles can burst out with a bite force of up to 600 kilograms, ranking fifth among the 23 existing crocodile species, surpassing the bite force of the largest existing lion and tiger - an adult tiger's bite force is only 300 kilograms. Fortunately, Yangzi crocodiles are not interested in humans, and even avoid humans in "social fear", and there is no record that wild Yangzi crocodiles have harmed humans.
Do not approach the breeding period
As one of the smallest crocodile species in the world, the Yangzi crocodile is generally about 1.5 meters long, and some individuals will grow to 2 meters, weigh about 36 kilograms, and have round and blunt teeth. Summer is the breeding period for alligators, they usually mate in June and lay eggs in July, which are duck-shaped and weigh about 40 grams each. After 30-40 days of natural hatching, young crocodiles are born.
The young crocodiles keep beeping before coming out of their shells, and then break out of their shells. The young crocodile that has just emerged from the shell, weighs about 30 grams and is 20 centimeters long, much like a large gecko. The main food of Yangzi crocodiles is mussels, fish and shrimp, crabs, snails and so on. Usually, as long as people do not provoke them, Yangzi crocodiles are very gentle, but during the breeding period of Yangzi crocodiles, do not try to approach them. Like other animals, the Yangzi crocodile during the breeding period is hot-tempered and highly aggressive.
From "Thor" to "Plate Food" to the "Little Cutie" that has attracted much attention now, the fate of the Yangzi crocodile also tells the story of people's continuous exploration of ways to live in harmony with nature.
(Editor: Qingxin from Global Human Geography)
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Responsible editor: Li Huiyan | Responsible proofreader: Zhou Chunyan
Reviewed: Zhang Chengwei | American editor: Ding Ran