Video Of The Week - Chinese Workers Carry Thousands Of Alligators To Winter Home

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Photo Credit: By J. Patrick Fischer (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Like many animals, China's Yangtze alligators like to spend winters hibernating inside dark holes that they dig on the sides of the lakes they reside in. That however is not an option for the 8,000 residents of the nature reserve in Xuancheng City in the Southeast Province of Anhui, because their manmade lakes are built using cement.

Therefore every year around this time, brave park workers physically lift each of the terrifying reptiles and carry them indoors to warm rooms. As if that is not scary enough, before being delivered to their winter homes, they have to be cleaned and checked for injuries. In April, when the weather warms up, the trek is reversed and reptiles are hauled back to their outdoor pools. Yikes!

American Alligator (Photo Credit: Skeetdeloach at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Indigenous to eastern China, the Yangtze or Chinese alligator is one of only two species of alligators left in the world. While it looks similar to the American alligator, it is a lot smaller. Most adults grow up to a maximum of 5 feet and weigh only about 80 pounds. In contrast, American alligators can get up to 13 feet long and weigh as much as 790 pounds! Another big difference? The Yangtze alligator is on the critically endangered list, which is why preserving the few that are left, is so crucial.

Resources: GNC Global News Channel

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583 Comments
  • laura1
    laura1almost 10 years
    to be honest i wouldn't have a problem with picking up thosen tiny alligators I've held them at the alligator farm by the sand dunes just like that i think they are cute but I can imagine trying to pick them up would be a ton of work
    • laura1
      laura1almost 10 years
      I would recommend this: I liked it because it was really uniqe, intresting and just cool!
      • laura1
        laura1almost 10 years
        (con.) I wonder where exactly they put the alligators. I wonder if there were any other species of alligators that became extinct.
        • laura1
          laura1almost 10 years
          (con.) the most interesting thing was that they put the alligators in a dumpster like thing to cart them to where ever they went. Also it suprised me how big the alligators are here and how small they are in china I wonder why.
      • laura1
        laura1almost 10 years
        it would stink to be an aligator at the bottom of that dumpster like thing in the video do they get crushed?
        • laura1
          laura1almost 10 years
          i would recommend this just because it was really interesting and cool! this article left me wondering where exactly they transport the alligators and what the envirorment is like. does hissing mean they are mad? How do u make a lake out of concrete? I think the most intresting thing is that alligators are going extinxt i did not know that! Also how big they are here and how tiny they are there I wonder why.
          • 0_Megaalmost 10 years
            This is a good story and i think a lot of people should read it!!!!!
            • 0_Megaalmost 10 years
              this is a good story and i love aligaters
              • lilli
                lillialmost 10 years
                those people are crazy doing that picking alligators up like that
                • anonamusalmost 10 years
                  this was awesome. lots of facts. can you write more about this topic ????
                  • andrel
                    andrelalmost 10 years
                    Did some of the people get eaten by alligaters?
                    • iikattastic
                      iikattasticalmost 10 years
                      lol the end looked so funny at the alagators