HEFEI - Twenty Chinese families have each adopted a Yangtze alligator from a nature reserve in East China's Anhui province, and more of the animals are being offered for adoption, according to an announcement on Wednesday.

"This is the first time we have organized adoptions for Yangtze alligators. We propose to let more people know of the critically endangered and extraordinary, precious species through finding 'human adopters' for them," said Wang Chaolin, deputy director of the Anhui Yangtze Alligator National Nature Reserve Administration.

The Yangtze alligator, also known as the Chinese alligator, is a critically endangered species native only to China. It has lived in the Yangtze River area for more than 230 million years and is nicknamed a "living fossil," just like the giant panda.

Adopters each pay 500 yuan ($80) to the administration for feeding and protecting their new charges. They are provided with adoption certificates and allowed to visit the alligators regularly.

Wang said each adopted alligator has an ID chip so that families can identify which belongs to them.

"We have known about the nature reserve for 20 years, but we had no idea how to take care of the endangered creatures by ourselves. We adopted one with my grandson's lucky money. On one hand, we want to cultivate his public spirit; on the other, we hope he can get more knowledge about Yangtze alligators," said a 67-year-old woman surnamed Song.

Another adopter, Yu Genfang, said she did it as a birthday gift for her daughter who is studying in Singapore.

Wang said, as the activity has proven popular, the administration decided to offer more alligators for adoption, the fees going to support their feed in the nature reserve and the recovery of their wild habitat.

Chinese alligators usually only grow to a length of two meters. The reserve has bred more than 10,000 of the animals. It is estimated that only about 150 live in the wild.