Compared with the crocodile family, these little brothers of Silurus are much weaker in both size and combat effectiveness. People who are often eaten by jaguars, eaten by green pythons and beaten by giant otters belong to the Silurian family. In addition, there is a long-billed crocodile family under the crocodile, which is represented by the Ganges crocodile. It looks very strange.
Ganges crocodile that only eats fish.
The Chinese alligator is an alligator. Chinese alligator was called giant salamander and giant salamander in ancient times, and it was also called earth dragon and pig female dragon in folk. Call it? Earth dragon? It is estimated that uneducated people will regard dragons as earth dragons. What is their name? Pig female dragon? It is estimated that the Chinese alligator sounds like a pig.
Chinese alligator is a unique species in China. Adults weigh more than 30 kilograms and have a body length of 1 meter. It poses no threat to mankind. At present, there are no wild Chinese alligators in the Yangtze River, and most of them live in Xuanwei area in southern Anhui. According to some field investigation records, there are about 200 wild Chinese alligators, which are very endangered. There are more than 10000 artificial species in the Chinese alligator protection base in Xuancheng. Unlike rare animals such as giant pandas and golden monkeys, Chinese alligators are inferior, ugly and cold-blooded, and naturally they don't get much attention.
However, this was not the case in ancient times. In a long historical period, Chinese alligators have spread all over the southern water system, not to mention the Yangtze River and Taihu Lake, but also along rice fields and fish ponds. Maybe there are Chinese alligators lurking. The ancients were very familiar with Chinese alligators, and there are many interesting details in Compendium of Materia Medica that can reflect people's familiarity with Chinese alligators.
For example, the cave of Chinese alligator is very deep, and hunting Chinese alligator has special skills. Fishermen will use ropes to tie bait and put it in caves to lure Chinese alligators, and then slowly pull them out to catch them; For another example, the chirping of Chinese alligators is as loud as drums, and its chirping behavior is regular. The ancients used the chirping of Chinese alligators at night to time. For another example, Chinese alligators can sing before it rains, which people regard as weather forecast; For another example, some people will eat Chinese alligator because its meat is rich and valuable, and it can even be used as a bride price or dowry. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were many records about catfish, and there were countless records in later generations. Of course, because Chinese alligators are so ugly, these records are not good, and they are often based on? Fish and tortoise? 、? Tortoise and tortoise? This combination is used to describe the sinister living environment in the south. Until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Chinese alligator was still a frequent visitor in literature and history materials.
For example, there is a giant salamander in Journey to the West. I'm not talking about the son of King Jinghe, the nephew of King Xihai, or the giant salamander that dominates the Heihe River, because this giant salamander is the son of the Dragon King, one of the nine sons of Longsheng, and looks like a chinemys reevesii. Of course not the Chinese alligator. However, under the Dragon King in the East China Sea and the Dragon King in the West China Sea, there are several senior officials, namely stubborn carp and tortoise and turtle, among which there are catfish, especially in the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea, there are catfish generals and catfish prime ministers. In addition to the literary image, the Chinese alligator also had high economic value in ancient times. Skin can be used to make drums, and nail and meat can be used as medicine.
So the ancients were really familiar with Chinese alligators. Although the image and temperament of the Chinese alligator are not good, and the literary image is not good, people don't know how to cherish it. If you catch them, you will either peel them or eat meat, but on the other hand, it also proves that Chinese alligators were widely distributed and numerous in ancient times. Compendium of Materia Medica quoted Su Song as saying,? There are many rivers and lakes today? . The word catfish also proves by the way that besides Chinese alligators, there were many rare catfish in the past.
The above is the situation of Chinese alligator. Although the ancients were familiar with it, many people are not familiar with it today. But crocodiles are another story. Although modern people are familiar with it, the ancients are not familiar with it. In the era of The Journey to the West's writing, catfish was dominant, but in the era of writing gourd dolls, there would be no catfish, only crocodile leaders.
Crocodile leader
Now people in China are familiar with crocodiles, of course, not because of the large number and wide distribution of crocodiles, but because crocodiles are often seen in programs such as Animal World and Man and Nature. But please note that crocodiles in the animal world are not made in China, but usually Nile crocodiles in Africa. If there were no animal world and modern science and technology, most people in China would definitely not know the crocodile species, because there are no crocodiles native to China in modern times.
Although there are no crocodiles in modern China, they did exist in ancient times. The specific species is Crocodile Bay, which is the largest crocodile and the largest reptile in existence. Although there were crocodiles in ancient times, they were scattered in some wetlands along the coast of South China, but not in the Central Plains and Jiangnan. For a long time, southern Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan are backward in development and have a small population. Crocodiles and other local products are not in the main vision of intellectuals.
Unlike Chinese alligators, crocodiles are rare visitors and are rarely mentioned in ancient literature. Even if it is mentioned occasionally, it is often out of a wind of curiosity. Examples are as follows:
(1) Zhang Hua in the Western Jin Dynasty recorded in the natural history:? There is a crocodile in the South China Sea that looks like a giant salamander. Cut off its head, pull out its teeth, and rebuild itself. Is this the only way to stop? .
② Liang Shu? "Biography of Funanguo" records: Crocodiles are more than 20 feet long, shaped like catfish, with four feet, a beak six or seven feet long, sharp as swords on both sides of teeth, and often eat fish. There are all foreign countries south of Cangwu. ?
(3) Liu Yao recorded in the Tang Dynasty:? Crocodiles are yellow, have four legs, and their tails are neatly trimmed and shaped like catfish. But their behavior is often pathological, and their mouths are serrated, which often hurts people. There are many deer in the south, and I am most afraid of this thing. Deer are walking on the cliff in Chisinaue, and a group of crocodiles are howling below. Deer fell off the cliff in horror, most of which were caught by crocodiles and some by things. Therefore, Li Furen Wei Deyu was demoted to Chaozhou, passed crocodile beach, and damaged the boat. He lost his life playing with ancient books and paintings for a while, so he called the boat to Kunlun to get it, but he was afraid to go near because he saw so many crocodiles. This is a crocodile cave house. ?
(4) Shen Kuo recorded in the Song Dynasty:? I have been to central Fujian when I was young. When Wang Ju knew Chaozhou dialect directly, he caught a crocodile as big as a boat and painted it into a picture, but he gave orders. Generally speaking, it is shaped like a catfish, but its beak is as long as its body, its teeth are serrated, it is yellow and pale, or sometimes it is white, and its tail has three hooks, which is very profitable. When you meet deer, you feed on the tail halberd. There are many eggs, either fish or giant salamanders, but only one or two are crocodiles. Scholars put a hook on the jackal, rafted it into the water, and the crocodile's tail ate it, so it was killed. ?
Summarizing the records in the above documents, we can find several laws.
First, the above-mentioned documents span from the Western Jin Dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty in 8900, but people are never familiar with the species of crocodiles. At this historical stage, the Central Plains people moved south twice on a large scale. By the Northern Song Dynasty, Guangdong and Fujian were no longer wild places. During the Western Jin Dynasty, Guangdong and Guangxi were still in a semi-wild state, so it is understandable that scientist Zhang Hua recorded the existence of crocodiles with curiosity. In the Northern Song Dynasty, a corner of South China was as prosperous as the Central Plains and Jiangnan, but Shen Kuo, a great scientist, recorded the existence of crocodiles with curiosity, which shows that crocodiles were really rare in ancient China.
Second, the above literature is authoritative on the whole, but the records of crocodiles are mixed, right and wrong. Zhang Hua and Shen Kuo are both politicians and scientists. Liang Shu is one of the twenty-four histories. Liu Yao has worked and lived in Lingnan for a long time, and he knows the customs of Guangdong like the back of his hand. Moreover, he quoted Li Deyu's personal experience, and their authority is very high. However, there are mistakes in their records.
Zhang Hua said that the teeth of the cut crocodile head can be regenerated after falling off, and it can be regenerated three times, which is ridiculous; Liang Shu recorded that the crocodile's mouth was six or seven feet long, that is, nearly two meters long, which was exaggerated; Liu Yao said that crocodiles live in caves, which is not rigorous enough; Shen Kuo said that crocodiles prey on deer and pigs with their tails, which is nonsense. He also said that crocodile eggs can hatch fish, giant salamanders, and only a few can hatch crocodiles, which is ridiculous. It can be seen that the ancients lacked the opportunity to observe and study crocodiles and were not familiar with crocodiles.
Third, although the above documents are not familiar with crocodiles, their understanding of crocodiles is gradually deepening. Zhang Hua should have only heard a little rumor about crocodiles. The editor of Liang Shu only reprinted the research results of crocodiles in South China Sea countries. Liu Yao already knows the appearance and habits of crocodiles very well. By the time of Shen Kuo, people had been able to hunt crocodiles skillfully, and even had sketches of crocodiles.
Fourthly, the correct records of crocodiles in the above literature are as follows. (1) Crocodiles live along the coast of South China; (2) Crocodiles are huge, khaki or bluish-black, with four legs, a long tail, a long mouth and sharp teeth like knives; (3) Crocodiles are fierce, eating mammals such as fish, roe deer and pigs, and even attacking people; (4) Crocodiles are oviparous, and crocodiles hatched in eggs rarely survive.
Fifthly, the descriptions of crocodile shapes in the above documents all use a common analogy object-alligator sinensis. Zhang Hua said? Like catfish? , Liang Shu Records? Like catfish? Liu Wei said? Shaped like catfish? , Shen Kuo said? Generally speaking, it is shaped like a catfish? . It can be seen that crocodiles look like common Chinese alligators, which is a high consensus of the ancients. This also shows that the ancients were very familiar with salamanders, but not with crocodiles.
Although the secretariat is weak, it is willing to bow for the crocodile.
The most famous document about crocodiles is Han Yu's Crocodile. That year, Han Yu, assistant minister of punishments, went to the platform to remonstrate with Buddha's bones. What was the result? A letter in the sky, eight thousand in Chaozhou Road at night? , the new Chaozhou secretariat. In fact, this is not a demotion, because the assistant minister of punishments and the secretariat of Chaozhou are all under the four standards, but the Beijing officials put them outside. After coming to Chaozhou, Han Yu soon discovered that there were crocodiles here, and wrote for Tang Xianzong in "Thanks to Chaozhou Secretariat". Hurricane crocodile, something unexpected happened? .
Later, Han Yu further confirmed that crocodiles were a great threat to chaozhou people, so he wrote this "Crocodile Text", which was handed down through the ages, and asked subordinate officials to throw a pig and a sheep into the water and read it to crocodiles.
In the article, Han Yu first fully understood the behavior of crocodiles in a wild place like Chaozhou, but immediately warned crocodiles that this time, unlike before, crocodiles could not stay in Chaozhou. In public, Chaozhou is the sacred territory of the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang government has indisputable sovereignty over it. Crocodiles can't mix with the secretariat here. Privately, I am an official and should benefit the people. Now crocodiles dare to rebel against the secretariat.
Finally, Han Yu solemnly asked the crocodile to recognize the situation and leave Chaozhou within a time limit. If he doesn't leave, the crocodile will bear all the consequences, so don't say he didn't predict it. Han Yu is telling you that the husband is proud of the emperor's life, does not listen to his words, is unmoved to avoid it, is stubborn and harms others, and can be killed. The officials and people who chose the wise and appointed the able fought crocodiles with strong bows and poisonous arrows. It has no regrets! ?
It is said that as soon as this article came out, the crocodile immediately recognized the situation and left Chaozhou. At that time, crocodiles spread all over Lingnan, and the number was huge, which seriously threatened the safety of people's lives and property. Killing crocodiles to curb their number is beneficial and harmless, and its nature belongs to what Mencius said? Duke Zhou and Yi Di drive away animals and the people are better? .
However, with the continuous migration and development of Lingnan in later generations, the ecological environment deteriorated, crocodiles were killed in large numbers, and their habitats were severely damaged, eventually disappearing completely in China. However, the situation of Chinese alligators, which are far more numerous than crocodiles, is not optimistic. Because of their strength, they cannot protect themselves. Moreover, the weak Chinese alligator has no strength to fight back against human hoes and thorns, and almost suffered extinction.
Nowadays, there are not many wild Chinese alligators. According to the results of field investigation, there may be only about 200, at least in the Yangtze River basin, and only distributed in southern Anhui.
The ancients were familiar with alligators in China because they were numerous and widely distributed, but they were unfamiliar with crocodiles because they were wild. Modern people are not familiar with Chinese alligators because the number of Chinese alligators is very rare, and they are no longer all over the rivers and lakes as in the past. But modern people are familiar with crocodiles, not because of the large number and wide distribution of crocodiles in China, but because of the large number and wide distribution of crocodiles in Africa, which often appear in the pictures of the animal world. Therefore, such a sharp contrast between ancient and modern times is a tragedy for Chinese alligators in China and crocodiles in China.
Crocodiles in China have long been extinct in the wild. Although it is a pity, it is irreversible. However, the Chinese alligator is not extinct, and we still have a chance to save this rare species. Tortoise and turtle giant salamander is endangered, and giant salamander is also endangered. The window of opportunity to save giant salamander is still there. Although the situation of many other rare and endangered species and wild animals is grim, there are also opportunities for rescue and protection.
To protect wild animals, we must maintain them correctly? Clear water and green mountains are priceless. Do you want both Jinshan Yinshan and Green Water and Green Mountains? The scientific concept of. In other words, to correctly balance the relationship between protection and development, we need both Jinshan Yinshan and green mountains and green hills. Only in this way can the protection of wild animals be sustainable.
If we blindly pursue the simple protection of wild animals and neglect their rational development and utilization, it will not be people-oriented and will fall short sooner or later. Mencius said,? If you don't count, neither fish nor turtle can be eaten. The protection and rational development and utilization of wild animals must be balanced with each other, and we can't neglect them. Of course, the situation is grim at this stage and protection must be strengthened.