Yangtze Crocodile Says Goodbye to Threat of ExtinctionAccording to resources from Xuancheng Yangtze Crocodile Nature Reserve in Anhui Province, the number of crocodiles in this reserve has come to over 9000 and the reserve is able to reproduce 1500-2000 baby crocodiles annually, indicating that the species has been out of the danger of extinction.Unique to China, the Yangtze River crocodile originated some 200 million years ago and was related to dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Its number once lowered sharply to about 200 by the 1970s, nearly on the brink of extinction. In 1986, the State Council approved to establish a state nature reserve for the protection of these crocodiles and to make regular survey and research on them. By 1988, the first generation artificially propagated Yangtze crocodile began to spawn and the same year also witnessed the success of the second generation of artificially propagated Yangtze crocodiles, thereby fulfilling the reproduction circle. Over the past several years, 80 artificially propagated Yangtze crocodiles have been set free to the nature. By now, the research on the species has been extended to the fields of ecology, reproduction, diseases, embryo and heredity. By PD Online staff member Li Heng |
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