The sex ratio of wild Chinese alligators Alligator sinensis

Abstract

Abstract The Chinese alligator Alligator sinensis is one of the most endangered crocodilian species, and typically exhibits temperature-dependent sex determination. It is extremely important to clarify the sex structure of Chinese alligators to implement recovery projects successfully. However, the sex ratio of wild Chinese alligators remains unknown. In this study, we collected 28 years of sex ratio data from Chinese alligators residing in the natural and artificial habitats of Changxing Nature Reserve, China, and examined the differences in the sex ratio dynamics between these two populations. We observed that the sex ratio of wild Chinese alligators is 1 male to 4.507 females, which was significantly lower compared to that of the captive population (1 to 2.040; P < 0.001), and is significantly different to previously documented sex ratios for this species (all P < 0.01). Furthermore, we documented an annually stable (P = 1.000) female-biased sex ratio for wild alligators at hatching [1 male to 4.747 females; 0.174 (0.167–0.182)], in contrast to a dramatically fluctuating sex ratio (P < 0.001) in captivity [1 male to 1.674 females; 0.374 (0.246–0.593)], showing a potential mechanism for adjusting the sex structure. Finally, we found that the hatchling sex ratios were similar to that of the population sex ratio (P = 0.748), with little correlation to air temperature values in the 60–70 day incubation period during the breeding season (July and August; both P > 0.05). Overall, this study indicates that the stabilized female-biased sex ratio of Changxing Chinese alligators might result from selection pressure caused by local mate competition and major inbreeding.