Chinese crocodile lizard

Not to be confused with Shonisaurus or Shinosaur.

Chinese crocodile lizard
At the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Clade: Shinisauria
Family: Shinisauridae
Ahl, 1930
Genus: Shinisaurus
Ahl, 1930
Species:
S. crocodilurus
Binomial name
Shinisaurus crocodilurus
Ahl, 1930

The Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is a semiaquatic anguimorph lizard found only in cool forests in southeastern China and northeastern Vietnam. The Chinese crocodile lizard spends much of its time in shallow water or in overhanging branches and vegetation, where it hunts its prey of insects, snails, tadpoles, and worms. Individuals in captivity may be fed baby mice.[3] A rare and little-studied lizard, it is listed in CITES Appendix II,[4] which regulates international trade of specimens.[5] This is the only species in the monotypic genus Shinisaurus.[6] It is the only living member of Shinisauria, a clade of lizards whose fossil record extends back to the Early Cretaceous, over 120 million years ago.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference iucn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference CITES was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Chinese Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus). Archived 2016-06-24 at the Wayback Machine The Sacramento Zoological Society.
  4. ^ "Chinese crocodile lizard". CITES. 12 December 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Huang, C. M., et al. (2008). Population and conservation strategies for the Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) in China. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 31(2) 63-70.