Chinese Crocodile Lizard
A lizard that looks like a tiny crocodile. It lives in the mountains of China and Vietnam and is in danger of disappearing.
What is it?
The Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is a reptile that gets its name from its tail, which has scales that look like a crocodile's tail. It is a semi-aquatic lizard, meaning it spends time both in water and on land.
How old?
This species was discovered by science in the early 20th century. The exhibit you saw was from 2024.
What was it like?
This lizard lives in clear, slow-moving shallow pools in secondary evergreen forests and bamboo forests. It is found mainly in the Daxiangshan mountains of southeastern China and in Quảng Ninh province in northeastern Vietnam. Female crocodile lizards are pregnant for 8 to 12 months and give birth to 2 to 14 babies at a time.
Why does it matter?
The Chinese crocodile lizard is endangered. Its population has dropped to about 3,000 individuals because its forest home is being destroyed and people catch them. Its conservation status is listed as "Unknown" because scientists are not sure exactly how many are left. Protecting this lizard helps keep the biodiversity of its mountain home.
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Next to find
- Find another animal that lives only in one small area of the world.
- Look for an exhibit about a reptile that lives in water.
- Search for information about how people are helping to save the Chinese crocodile lizard.
中国鳄蜥
一种看起来像小鳄鱼的蜥蜴。它生活在中国和越南的山区，正面临灭绝的危险。
这是什么？
中国鳄蜥（Shinisaurus crocodilurus）是一种爬行动物，因其尾巴有像鳄鱼尾巴一样的鳞片而得名。它是一种半水生蜥蜴，既在水中也在陆地上活动。
它有多古老？
这个物种在20世纪初被科学发现。你看到的展品来自2024年。
它是什么样的？
这种蜥蜴生活在次生常绿林和竹林中的清澈、缓慢流动的浅水池中。它主要分布在中国东南部的大香山山区和越南东北部的广宁省。雌性鳄蜥怀孕期为8到12个月，每胎能生下2到14只幼崽。
为什么重要？
中国鳄蜥是濒危物种。由于栖息地被破坏和人类捕捉，其数量已减少到约3000只。它的保护状态被列为“未知”，因为科学家不确定还剩下多少。保护这种蜥蜴有助于维护其山区家园的生物多样性。
联系
下一步寻找
- 寻找另一种只生活在世界上一小片区域的动物。
- 寻找关于生活在水中的爬行动物的展品。
- 搜索有关人们如何帮助拯救中国鳄蜥的信息。