years old. Pleistocene fossils show that its range was once much more extensive, extending northwards to Shandong and southwards to the Taiwan Strait. Description One of the smallest species of crocodilians, the Chinese alligator attains a length of and weight of as an adult. Females are roughly three-quarters the length of males. It is less than half the size of the American alligator, which typically grows to a length of for males and for females. Reports are known of alligators in China reaching in past centuries, but these are no longer thought to be accurate. The Chinese alligator is almost completely black or dark gray in color as an adult. It has a short and broad snout, which points slightly upwards and narrows at the end. Its head is robust, more so than that of the American alligator, with a bony septum dividing its nostrils. It has 72–76 teeth, of which 13–14 are maxillary, five premaxillary, and 18–19 mandibular. Unlike the American alligator, the Chinese alligator is fully armored, including its belly. It contains up to 17 rows of scales across its body, which are soft on its belly and side and rougher on its back. Its upper eyelids have bony plates on them, a feature usually not present in the American alligator. Its tail is wider than that of the American alligator. It does not have webbed feet, in contrast to the American alligator, which has extensive webbing on its toes. Ecology The Chinese alligator brumates in burrows during winter. After this period of dormancy, it frequently spends time in the sun before summer begins. It is nocturnal throughout summer, feeding at night and sheltering in the daytime, to avoid both humans and the summer heat. This behavior gives it the ability to live in areas where humans are common. A docile species, it generally does not intentionally hurt humans. Burrowing This alligator brumates from late October to mid-April, emerging in early May. It constructs its burrows next to ponds and other small bodies of water, using its head and front legs to dig into the ground. They can be large and complex, containing multiple rooms, water pools, and entrances. Most of them are long, with each room having enough space for alligators to turn around after entering. Outside of winter, the burrows serve as retreat sites for the alligators and in summer are where they take shelter in