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Juvenile caimans are yellow with black spots and stripes throughout the body; adults are olive green. They are able to slightly change their color, which is provided by melanophore cells of the skin. So, in cold weather they become darker. Caiman subspecies vary in coloration, size, and skull outline.
Spreading
The crocodile caiman is more widespread than any of the alligators: it is found in Belize. Guatemala and Mexico to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. Subspecies C. c. fuscus introduced to Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. This caiman is quite tolerant of salt water, which has allowed it to move to some islands close to the mainland, including Aruba, St. Maarten, Martinique, Guadeloupe, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago.
Lifestyle
The crocodile caiman has adapted to living in damp lowlands and near bodies of water, preferring standing water. Floating islands of eichornia ( Eichhornia) and other aquatic plants (the so-called “mats”) - they provide young caimans with shelter and can carry them over long distances and even into the open sea. During drought, caimans usually bury themselves in the mud and hibernate.
After the reduction in the number of the main natural enemies of crocodile caimans - large crocodiles Crocodylus acutus, Crocodylus intermedius and black caiman Melanosuchus niger, their numbers have increased sharply in many areas.
Nutrition
This caiman's main food includes shellfish, freshwater crabs, amphibians, small reptiles, small mammals and fish. Large males may sometimes attack larger vertebrates, including mammals - such as wild pigs, or reptiles such as anacondas. There are known cases of cannibalism. Overall, the crocodile caiman is an opportunistic predator with a very flexible diet.
The Caymans are an important link in the ecological system of the South American tropics; if their numbers decline, fish populations also decline. They also regulate the number of piranhas in rivers, although they are not such specialists in eating piranhas as, for example, yacar caimans.
Natural enemies
Due to their small size and lack of strength, crocodile caimans themselves are often preyed upon by jaguars, large anacondas, crocodiles and black caimans.
Reproduction
Males and females become sexually mature at the age of 4 to 7 years with a body length of 1.4 m and 1.2 m, respectively. The growth rate and readiness to reproduce in caimans depends on social status - low-ranking males grow more slowly. The mating season lasts from May to August. During the rainy season (July-August), the female builds a nest from rotting plants, usually among thickets. The clutch consists of 15-40 eggs. The female always remains near the nest to drive away enemies; sometimes several females lay eggs in one nest. Tegu lizards ( Tupinambis) hunt caiman eggs and can destroy up to 80% of clutches in an area. Incubation lasts 90 days. After hatching, the cubs stay near their mother for some time.
Population status
Due to the ventral osteoderms, crocodile caiman skin is not ideal for processing; Only the leather on the sides is suitable for dressing. These caimans began to be intensively hunted, mainly after extermination in the 1950s. other types of crocodiles. Caiman skin is often passed off as alligator skin; like the latter, caimans are bred on farms. Despite the hunting and trapping of these animals, in most areas their population remains fairly stable due to their high adaptability, the extermination of other crocodile species by humans and the increase in the area of artificial reservoirs.
The crocodile caiman is listed in Appendix II (subspecies C. c. apaporiensis- in Annex I) of the CITES Convention. Is a protected species in
In nature there are a huge number of predators that can be found on one continent or another. Crocodiles and caimans are certainly among their many. These animals are often confused, but in fact they are significantly different from each other.
Caiman
A caiman is an animal belonging to the genus of reptiles and the alligator family. They live in both Americas.
Today there are 3 types of caimans known:
- Crocodile.
- Wide-faced.
- Paraguayan.
In terms of their morphology, caimans are very similar in appearance to alligators; they differ only in the presence of osteodorm bone plates on the surface of the abdomen. On the head of caimans there is a bony ridge that runs across the bridge of the nose and ends just below eye level.
The maximum length of the animal is about 3.5 meters, and the weight reaches up to 200 kilograms. The male caiman is twice the size of the female.
Cayman lifestyle
Caymans love to spend a huge amount of time on the bank of a stream or river, covered with silt. The animal prefers to choose bodies of water located in the jungle for its permanent residence.
With the onset of the dry season, caimans gather in small lakes, this is due to the fact that rivers and streams tend to dry out.
The caiman is a predatory animal, but its prey is not people or large animals. In its natural environment, it behaves cautiously, calmly and timidly, preferring to feed on small prey. Caimans prefer to hunt:
- Dogs.
- Amphibians.
- Capybara.
- Antelope.
- Birds.
- Turtles and so on.
The caiman cannot hold its prey in its jaws for a long time, as a result of which its powerful jaws and blunt teeth perfectly chew the prey that they come across.
Caimans are also hunted
The animal itself can in turn become prey
- Jaguar.
- Large anaconda.
- A giant otter.
- Fellow black caiman.
The caiman builds a nest from mud and surrounding vegetation for future offspring, into which the female lays up to several dozen eggs. The female is very fierce, she constantly protects future offspring. Protecting her cubs from enemies, she is able to repel even a large jaguar. A small jaguar is a miniature copy of its parents.
A crocodile is a reptile that lives semi-aquatic lifestyle, belonging to the order of crocodiles.
This wild animal received its own name thanks to the Greek language, in which the word “crocodilos” literally means a pebble worm. In ancient times, the people who inhabited the Peloponnese called this the reptile itself, which has lumpy skin that resembles a pebble in appearance, and its too long body and characteristic method of movement reminded people of a worm.
The crocodile is a unique animal, as it is today surviving member of the archosaurs. The closest relatives of the crocodile are considered to be birds, which are also the closest relatives of the same archosaurs.
The length of the animal can be up to 5.5 meters, and the mass from 400 to 700 kilograms, while his head alone weighs about 200 kilograms. Crocodiles are famous for their very pronounced sexual demorphism: females are 2.5 times larger than males.
The reptile has a very interesting body structure:
- Flattened head.
- Long muzzle.
- Elongated flattened body.
- Mobile tail, compressed on the sides.
The animal has short legs on both sides of its body. In terms of its skull structure, the crocodile is very similar to a dinosaur. The eyes, nostrils and ears of a reptile are located on the top of the head. Thanks to this feature, a crocodile can lie under the water column and simultaneously smell prey with its exposed nostrils.
The crocodile has four chamber heart, and the animal’s blood contains antibiotics that effectively prevent infections during prolonged exposure to dirty water.
The growth of a reptile does not stop throughout its life. The crocodile is a predator; it feeds on fish, birds, animals, turtles, and there are frequent cases of attacks on humans.
Crocodiles are distributed throughout almost the entire planet Earth; they can be found in Africa, the Philippines, Guatemala, Japan, Bali, and North and South America.
Crocodile for the most part prefers to live in fresh water, but they can also live well in salt water.
Reptile leads semi-aquatic lifestyle: they spend a lot of time in the water, but every morning they prefer to sunbathe on the shore; even crocodiles prefer to lay eggs on land.
What do caiman and crocodile have in common?
- Both caimans and crocodiles are predatory animals.
- They prefer to live in water.
- The crocodile and caiman are similar in appearance to each other.
Differences
- Animals belong to different families: crocodile - crocodiles, caiman - alligators.
- The crocodile has a sharp snout, while the caiman has a blunt, rounded snout.
- Crocodile can live in both fresh and salt water.
- Cayman has a lighter weight.
- The body temperature of a crocodile depends on the temperature of the environment in which it is located.
- The caiman never attacks people or large animals, while the crocodile can easily bite through the skull of a buffalo, and does not neglect humans as food.
Caiman lives in Central and South America. These animals belong to the order of reptiles and are classified as armored and armadillos. Based on skin tones, caimans can be black, brown or green.
But caimans change their color depending on the time of year. The dimensions of the caiman range on average from one and a half to three meters in length, and weigh from five to fifty kilograms.
The caiman's eyes are protected by a membrane, which allows it to always be in the water; on average, the caiman has from 68 to 80 teeth. Their weight can range from 5 to 50 kg. Translated from Spanish, “caiman” means “alligator, crocodile.”
But crocodile caiman and alligator everything is different. What is the difference between a caiman and a crocodile and an alligator? The caiman differs from the crocodile and alligator in the presence of bony plates called osteoderms and located directly on the stomach. Caimans also have a narrow muzzle and only half of the membranes on their hind legs.
The crocodile has a wrinkle near the snout on the edge of the jaw necessary for a tooth from below, the alligator has grooves for a tooth on the upper jaw and this feature distinguishes it from the alligator and caiman. Despite the differences, crocodile caiman in the photo little different.
Habitat and lifestyle of the caiman
Cayman lives in small lakes, river banks, streams. Although caimans are predatory, they are still afraid of people, they are quite timid, calm and weak, which is why they differ from real ones.
Caimans feeding insects, small ones, when they reach sufficient size, feed on large aquatic invertebrates, reptiles and small mammals. Some species of caimans will be able to bite through the shell and. Caimans are slow and clumsy, but move very well in the water.
By their nature, caimans are aggressive, but they are often bred on farms and in large numbers in zoos, so they quickly get used to people and behave calmly, although of course they can still bite.
Types of caimans
- Crocodile or spectacled caiman;
- Brown caiman;
- Broad-faced caiman;
- Paraguayan caiman;
- Black caiman;
- Dwarf caiman.
The crocodile caiman is also called the spectacled caiman. This species has the appearance of a crocodile with a long narrow muzzle, and is called spectacled due to the growths of bone formations near the eyes, similar to the details of glasses.
Pictured is a black caiman
The largest males are three meters in length. They hunt preferably during the rainy season; during the dry season, food becomes scarce, so cannibalism is inherent in caimans at this time. They can even live in salty waters. Also, if environmental conditions become particularly harsh, they burrow into the mud and hibernate.
The color of the skin has a chameleon-like quality and ranges from light brown to dark olive. There are stripes of dark brown color. They can make sounds ranging from hissing to a croak-like sound.
Like most caimans, it lives in swamps and lakes, in places with floating vegetation. Since these caimans are tolerant of brackish water, this allowed them to settle on the nearby islands of America. Brown caiman. This species is very similar to its relatives, reaches a length of up to two meters and is listed in the Red Book.
Broad-faced caiman. The very name of this caiman speaks for itself; this caiman has such a wide muzzle, which is wider even than that of some species of alligators; they reach at most two meters. The body color is mainly olive, green with dark spots.
This caiman leads a mainly water-based lifestyle, preferring fresh water; it is mostly motionless and has only its eyes on the surface of the water. Loves nocturnal lifestyle and can live near people.
They eat the same food as other caimans and can also bite through the shell of turtles and therefore they are also present in its diet. Food is mostly swallowed whole, except naturally by turtles. Since its skin is suitable for processing, this species is a tempting prey for poachers and therefore this species is bred on farms.
Paraguayan caiman. It is also very similar to the crocodile caiman. They can also reach three meters in size and are the same in color as crocodile caimans; they differ in that the lower jaw protrudes above the upper jaw, and also in the presence of protruding sharp teeth, and for this this caiman received the name “piranha caiman”. This species of caiman is also listed in the Red Book.
Dwarf caiman. The smallest species of caimans, the largest individuals reach a length of only one hundred and fifty centimeters. They prefer fresh water bodies and a nocturnal lifestyle, are very mobile, and during the day they sit in burrows near the water. They feed on the same food as other types of caimans.
Caiman reproduction and lifespan
The breeding season mainly lasts during the rainy season. Females build nests and lay eggs, their number varies depending on the species, with an average of 18-50 eggs.
An interesting fact is that among broad-faced caimans, the male, like the female, participates in the process of creating a place for laying eggs. The eggs are laid in two rows with different temperatures, because at a warmer temperature the male hatches and at a cooler female.
The duration of incubation is on average seventy days. All this time, the female guards her nests, and females can also unite to protect their future offspring, but still, on average, eighty percent of the clutch is destroyed by lizards.
At the end of the term, the female helps the caimans to survive, but even despite all the caution, few survive. There are always differing opinions on life expectancy, since caimans initially look old. But it is generally accepted that on average caimans live up to thirty years.
Crocodile caiman and alligators are ancient predators that have great physical strength; the planet really needs them, because they are orderlies of the places where they live.
But currently, poachers are hunting for the skin of these animals, and thanks to the destruction of many habitats of these animals by man himself, the population of these animals has decreased significantly, some are already listed in the Red Book. Many farms have been created where these reptiles are artificially propagated.
The caiman is a crocodile that belongs to the alligator family, but is somewhat different from them. Alligators are smaller than crocodiles, with wide and short snouts, and are lazier and less aggressive. Caymans are a separate genus of the family. They do not have a bony partition on their muzzle, but they do have a protective abdominal shell.
Types of caimans
The caiman is a crocodile, which means it is a formidable and dangerous animal. Although not as aggressive as other representatives of the squad. There are three types of representatives of the genus:
- crocodile (spectacled);
- broad-nosed;
- Yakarsky
All of the listed species of caimans are common in South and Central America. The crocodile (spectacled) is divided into two species and four subspecies. All of them are listed in the Red Book as representatives of an endangered species of animals.
Crocodile (spectacled) caiman
Crocodile caiman - small, has a narrow long muzzle. Ahead it narrows even more. The second name - “spectacled” - was given to the caiman for the bony outgrowths on its head, located around and between the eyes and resembling glasses. Males can reach from 2 to 2.5 meters in length, and females - up to 1.4 m. The weight of the crocodile caiman does not exceed 45 kilograms. Juveniles are yellow in color with black stripes and spots along the body.
Adult crocodiles turn olive green. Thanks to melanophore cells, they can change color slightly. Subspecies of crocodile caimans differ in the outline of the skull, color and size. This type is the most common. Inhabits rivers from Peru to Mexico.
Broadnose caiman
The broadnose caiman is a crocodile distinguished by its snout. Its length is from 2 to 3.5 meters. Weight ranges from 35 to 62 kilograms. Tolerates high temperatures well. The back of the broad-nosed caiman is covered with durable, ossified scales. Color: light green, olive. It lives in the waters of Bolivia, Brazil and northern Argentina. Lives next to the Yakar caiman. These species are not hostile to each other.
Yakar caiman
The Yakarsky (or Paraguayan, piranha) caiman, a photo of which is in this article, was previously a subspecies of the crocodile. But later it was isolated as a separate species. Externally, the Yakar caiman is similar to a crocodile. Body length is from 2.5 to 3 meters. Weight ranges from 20 to 25 kilograms in females and up to 55 kg in males. Like all caimans, it has bony scutes on its skin. The crocodile received its second name - “piranha” - for the structure of its teeth, when the lower ones extend beyond the upper front ones. It lives in northern Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia.
Caimans habitats
So, a caiman is a crocodile. That’s why it loves wetlands where it can hide and find large snags. But each species of caimans prefers a specific habitat. Crocodiles love wet lowlands and live near bodies of water. They prefer standing water. The broadnose caiman lives in swampy lowlands. A favorite place is mangrove swamps. Can live in both fresh and salt water. It often settles in ponds near human habitation. The Yakar caiman lives in swampy lowlands and swamps. Likes to hide on
Cayman food
The caiman is an unpretentious animal and not as aggressive and bloodthirsty as its relatives. It even eats insects. The main food is shellfish, fish, freshwater crabs and amphibians. If a crocodile is large in size, then it hunts large vertebrates and mammals.
The main diet of the broadnose caiman consists of water snails and other small non- and vertebrates. Although a large individual can even bite through a turtle shell. The Yakar caiman eats aquatic invertebrates, fish and occasionally snakes. His favorite “dish” is snails.
Reproduction
The caiman is a crocodile from the alligator family. Sexual maturity occurs at a body length of 1.2 to 1.4 m. Dominant males grow much faster. And they reach sexual maturity sooner. The mating season is the rainy season. Approximately from May to August. Females build nests from rotting plants in the thickets. This is where the eggs are laid. Average masonry - 40 pieces.
Due to the rotting of plants, a constant temperature is maintained in the nest. The incubation period lasts from 70 to 90 days. The sex of the caimans depends on the temperature in which the eggs were kept. If it is above 32 degrees, females are born. If lower - males.
All the mothers' cubs are collected into quiet backwaters, where the babies grow up under their supervision. Moreover, females do not differentiate between their own and other people’s cubs. They care for babies up to four months. Then the young begin a separate life.
The importance of caimans in the outside world
The cayman is known to be a crocodile. Only small and not so aggressive. Caymans occupy an important place in the ecosystem. If their numbers decline, the fish population becomes smaller. Thanks to crocodiles, the number of piranhas is regulated. Recently, the catch of crocodile caimans has increased. Their skin is poorly processed due to the abdominal bony scutes, so it is taken only from the sides.
So far, the number of crocodile caimans is not declining. In addition, they are bred on special farms. But, nevertheless, hunting crocodile caimans is prohibited in Venezuela, Mexico and some other countries.
But the skin of a broad-nosed crocodile is more suitable for dressing. Therefore, its population fell slightly in the mid-20th century. But the broad-nosed caiman is saved by the inaccessibility of its habitats. Special crocodile farms have been created in Argentina. The broad-nosed caiman is bred on them, a photo of which is in this article.
The number of Yakar caiman does not exceed two hundred thousand individuals. Therefore, in Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil and some other countries it is included in the protection program. In addition, special farms have been created where the Yakar caiman is raised.
Taxonomy
Russian name – Crocodile or spectacled caiman
Latin name: Caiman crocodilus
English title – Spectacled caiman
Class – Reptiles or Reptiles (Reptilia)
Order – Crocodiles (Crocodylia)
Family – Alligators (Alligatoridae)
Genus – Spectacled caimans (Caiman)
There are 3-4 subspecies, differing in color, size and outline of the skull.
Conservation status
According to international status, it belongs to the category of species whose existence in nature causes the least concern. However, the species is included in Appendix II of CITES, i.e. The trade in crocodile caimans must be controlled. The number of different subspecies varies in different countries. The crocodile caiman is protected in Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela, and hunting is restricted in Colombia and Panama.
Species and man
Like most crocodiles, the crocodile caiman is hunted for its famous “crocodile skin.” True, due to the abdominal scutes (osteoderms), only the skin from the sides of the animal is suitable for dressing, which saved the crocodile caiman from extermination. Intensive hunting of these caimans began after the 1950s, when other crocodile species were almost wiped out. Nowadays, crocodile caimans are successfully bred on farms. Currently, natural populations of crocodile caimans are quite stable due to the high adaptability of the species, the extermination of other crocodiles (enemies and competitors) by humans and the increase in the area of artificial reservoirs.
Distribution and habitats
The range of the crocodile caiman is much wider than that of all other members of the alligator family. It occupies Central and South America from Mexico to Brazil and Peru. There are introduced (brought) populations of crocodile caimans in Cuba and the USA (Florida).
This caiman prefers calm lakes, swamps, and the banks of tributaries of large rivers with a slow flow. It does not avoid brackish waters, which gave it the opportunity to spread throughout the Caribbean islands, including the islands of Trinidad and Tabago.
Appearance
The crocodile caiman is a medium-sized alligator, with a rather long, narrowed snout and large teeth (there can be from 72 to 78). The length of males is 1.8-2 m, females 1.2-1.4 m. The maximum recorded size is 2.2 m. The body weight of adult individuals ranges from 7 to 40 kg. The skull is similar in appearance to that of real crocodiles, which is why caimans got their name. And the bony outgrowths on the head between and around the eyes resemble glasses, which gave rise to the second name of this caiman.
Almost all the skin on the body of the crocodile caiman is covered with dense rows of large scutes. This “armor” protects caimans from both predators and humans. Since such skin is very difficult to tan, crocodile caimans were destroyed less than other crocodiles.
Juvenile crocodile caimans are yellow with black spots and stripes all over their bodies; adults are olive green. They are able to change color slightly using special cells in their skin; for example, in cold weather, caimans become darker.
Lifestyle
The entire life of crocodile caimans is associated with wet lowlands near bodies of water, most often stagnant. They love to hide in dense thickets of aquatic plants, and a large role in their life is played by floating islands of various plants, which not only provide shelter for young crocodiles, but can also transport them over long distances, including across the sea.
Solar radiation plays an important role in the daily activity of crocodile caimans. Usually, at the hottest time of the day, caimans dive into the water (at a water temperature of 29-300), and in the evening they come ashore, where they remain almost the entire night. Thus, thanks to behavioral thermoregulation, body temperature remains fairly stable - 30-330 during the day, 26-300 at night.
In severe drought, caimans bury themselves in the mud at the bottom of a reservoir or in the forest floor.
There is an opinion among scientists that crocodile caimans play a big role in local aquatic biocenoses, as they regulate the number of predatory piranhas, preventing them from multiplying too much.
In nature, crocodile caimans have quite a few enemies. These are jaguars, large anacondas, and other larger crocodiles. Caimans' eggs are often eaten by large terrestrial tegu lizards.
Nutrition
The main food of crocodile caimans is shellfish, freshwater crabs, fish, amphibians, small reptiles, aquatic birds and mammals. Larger males can also grab larger prey - wild pigs, anacondas. There are known cases of cannibalism, i.e. eating members of their own species. Young caimans feed mainly on aquatic invertebrates.
In general, the food diet of crocodile caimans is quite diverse, and in different parts of the range there is significant food selectivity of these crocodiles.
Vocalization
Crocodile caimans are quite "talkative" animals, and their "conversational" repertoire changes with age. When in danger, small crocodiles make a short creaking croaking sound, older animals hiss, and adults “bark” loudly.
Reproduction
Male and female crocodile caimans become sexually mature between 4 and 7 years of age, with body sizes of 1.4 m and 1.2 m, respectively. Growth rate The mating season lasts from May to August. After mating, the female builds a nest in dense vegetation from rotting plants, where she lays from 15 to 40 eggs covered with a hard calcined shell. Sometimes several females lay eggs in one nest. The incubation period lasts from 65 to 100 days, with an average of 90 days, depending on local conditions. All this time, the female remains near the nest, driving potential enemies away from it. The hatched cubs stay close to the female for some time.
Lifespan
There is no exact information about the lifespan of crocodile caimans, but it is estimated to be 30-40 years.
Since crocodile caimans are relatively small alligators, they are quite regularly found at a young age in private collections. Unfortunately, very often the owners of such collections try to get rid of the caimans as soon as they grow up, sometimes even throwing them into the nearest bodies of water, dooming them to certain death. The Moscow Zoo has repeatedly been forced to accept such grown-up caimans in order to save their lives and provide them with decent living conditions. Now in the Exotarium pavilion, visitors to our zoo can see one of these forced migrants on display.
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