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

• 

  Chinese crocodile lizards hunt in shallow water during daylight.

• 

  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. 

This lizard article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: IUCN Red List vulnerable species Lizard stubs Xenosaurids Reptiles of China Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience (Self Titled) Look at other dictionaries: Crocodile attack — Crocodile attacks on people are common in places where large crocodiles are native and human populations live. Only six of the 23 crocodilian species are considered dangerous to adult humans, and only individuals 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length… …   Wikipedia Crocodile — For other uses, see Crocodile (disambiguation). For differences between alligators and crocodiles, see Crocodilia#Differences between alligators and crocodiles. Bilateria Crocodiles Temporal range: Eocene – Recent, 55–0 Ma …   Wikipedia crocodile — crocodiloid /krok euh dil oyd, krok euh duy loyd/, adj. /krok euh duyl /, n. 1. any of several crocodilians of the genus Crocodylus, found in sluggish waters and swamps of the tropics. 2. any reptile of the order Crocodylia; crocodilian. 3. the… …   Universalium Xenosauridae — Taxobox name = Xenosauridae image caption = Chinese crocodile lizard ( Shinisaurus crocodilurus ) image width = 240px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Reptilia ordo = Squamata familia = XenosauridaeThe Xenosauridae is a family of… …   Wikipedia Squamata — This article is about the Squamata order of reptiles. For the Roman scale armour, see Lorica squamata. Scaled reptiles Temporal range: Late Triassic recent …   Wikipedia Dalinghosaurus — longidigitus on display at the Paleozoological Museum of China Scientific classification …   Wikipedia Wildlife of China — includes its flora and fauna and their natural habitats.China s varied geography and climate has created a wealth of wildlife habitats, the country s vast human population has put pressure on the environment, bringing some high profile creatrues… …   Wikipedia Monjurosuchus — Temporal range: Early Cretaceous Monjurosuchus splendens fossil in the Beijing Museum of Natural History Scientific classification …   Wikipedia List of reptiles of South Asia — The following is a list of reptiles of South Asia, primarily covering the region covered by mainland India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, parts of Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Island chains.Order Crocodilia Family… …   Wikipedia List of endangered animal species — This is a list of endangered animal species according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List. The list includes endangered species of the kingdom Animalia. NOTOC A* Acheilognathus elongatus * Acipenser Endangered * Acrocephalus… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2025 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”