Chinese crocodile lizard

Chinese crocodile lizard
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Shinisauridae
Genus:	Shinisaurus
Species:	S. crocodilurus
Binomial name
Shinisaurus crocodilurus (Ahl, 1930)

The Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is a semi-aquatic lizard found only in cool forests in the Hunan, Guangxi Zhuang, and Guizhou provinces of China. The Chinese crocodile lizard spends much of its time in shallow water or in overhanging branches and vegetation, where it hunts its prey of fish, tadpoles, snails, and insects.^[1] A rare and little-studied lizard, it is listed in CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade of specimens.^[2]

Description

The Chinese crocodile lizard is olive colored with reddish neck markings and alternating bands of light and dark marks. Males are more colorful than females, especially during the breeding season. They are 40-46 cm (16-18 in) long. Perhaps its most distinctive features are the rows of enlarged, bony scales down its back and muscular tail, giving the lizard its namesake. A 2008 study estimated 950 crocodile lizards left in China.^[3]

Gallery

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  Chinese crocodile lizards hunt in shallow water during daylight.

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  S. crocodilurus in captivity at St Louis zoo.

References

1. ^ "Chinese crocodile lizard". Detroit Zoo. http://www.detroitzoo.org/zoo/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=526&Itemid=557. Retrieved 2008-10-09. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Chinese Crocodile Lizard". http://www.cites.org/gallery/species/reptile/chinese_crocodile_lizard.html. Retrieved 2008-10-09. 
3. ^ Wilson, Don W.; Burnie, David (2001). Animal. London: DK. p. 422. ISBN 0-7894-7764-5. 

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