Adult Size: Average length of 4-5 feet (1.2-1.5 meters), though 7 feet (2 meters) is possible.

Headshape: Shorter snouts than its American counterpart, with more conical, sharp scales behind the head and around the nuchal cluster.

Appearance: Adults are black or dark grey with a lighter grey ventral side. Juveniles have yellow or orange bands, which fade as the animal matures. Hatchlings have jaw blotches and an “x” on top of their head, unlike A. mississippiensis.

Nuchal Clusters: Arranged in a 2 x 2 x 2 pattern with sharp, conical post-occipital scales.

Flanks: A continuous pattern of similarly sized round and oval scales without keels. Other

Notes: They have no webbing on their front feet, unlike A. mississippiensis.

STATUS: Critically Endangered

*Compare with Alligator mississippiensis

Hatchling Chinese Alligators have an “x” mark on top of their heads and jaw blotches. (These are not seen in American Alligators,