Caiman, << KAY muhn, >> is a large reptile, closely related to the alligator, that lives in Central and South America. Caimans, along with alligators, crocodiles, and gavials, belong to a group of animals called crocodilians. Caimans live in and around fresh water, lurking in lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.
Types.
Scientists divide caimans into five or six species (kinds): (1) the spectacled caiman, (2) Cuvier’s dwarf caiman, (3) the smooth-fronted caiman (sometimes called Schneider’s dwarf caiman), (4) the black caiman, (5) the broad-snouted caiman, and (6) the yacaré caiman. Some scientists consider the yacaré caiman to be a subspecies of the spectacled caiman.
The spectacled caiman, also called the common caiman, ranks as the most common of all crocodilians. It ranges widely from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, and human activities have introduced some of the animals into Florida, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The spectacled caiman is relatively small compared to other crocodilians, with males usually growing from 61/2 to 8 feet (2 to 2.5 meters) long.
Two species of small caimans—Cuvier’s dwarf caiman and the smooth-fronted caiman—live mostly in the rivers and streams of the Amazon River Basin’s thick forests. Male smooth-fronted caimans can grow more than 7 feet (2.1 meters) in length, while male Cuvier’s dwarf caiman’s rarely reach 6 feet (1.8 meters) in length. Both species spend most of the day in burrows. At night, they come out and patrol their territory to feed and mate. Dwarf caimans sometimes make long overland marches to find water or to move to a new burrow.
Of all caiman species, only the black caiman poses a threat to human beings, because of its large size. It can reach around 20 feet (6 meters) in length.
Habits.
Caimans, like other crocodilians, provide more care for their young than most other reptiles. The female caiman lays eggs in a nest on the ground and usually stays nearby to guard them. In some cases, the male caiman also helps guard the nest. After the eggs hatch, the female caiman carries the young to the water. In some species, young caimans may remain near their parents for up to a year.
Young caimans eat many invertebrates (animals without backbones), such as insects, crabs, and snails. As caimans grow larger, they begin to eat birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles.
During the dry season, when much of the standing water in swamps and marshes evaporates, caimans may burrow into the mud and estivate. Estivation is a sleeplike state, similar to hibernation, that conserves energy and helps protect the animal from heat and dryness.
Caimans and people.
During the 1900’s, people hunted many species of caimans to near extinction, killing them for their meat and valuable hides. Habitat loss from deforestation and land development also contributed to their decline. Since the late 1960’s, conservation laws have helped restore caiman populations, though illegal hunting and smuggling continues. The black caiman remains particularly vulnerable.
