Crocodile Caiman

Caiman crocodilus
Class:
Рептилии
Squad:
Крокодилы
Family:
Аллигаторовые
Genus:
Кайманы

The crocodile caiman belongs to the alligator family and differs from real alligators in the presence of a bony abdominal shell. This shell protects them from the sharp teeth of piranhas, adjacent to it in the rivers of Central and South America - from Mexico to Peru and Brazil. Caimans prefer quiet waters with abundant vegetation and are more common in swamps and small rivers. Caimans can "talk". The young make a croaking sound, the older caimans hiss, and the adults give out a loud "barking" sound. The male can reach a length of up to 2.5 m, the female – up to 1.4 m. The main food for young caimans are shellfish, freshwater crabs, amphibians and fish. Adults attack large vertebrates, including mammals — for example, small ungulates or peccary pigs. There are cases of cannibalism. The crocodile caiman reaches sexual maturity at the age of 4-7 years. Eggs are laid throughout the year. The female builds a nest about one and a half meters in diameter and up to 30 cm high, where she usually lays from 15 to 30 eggs. The incubation period is from 80 to 90 days. All this time, the female relentlessly guards the nest, not letting anyone get close to it. The main enemies are tag lizards and foxes that eat eggs, as well as large predatory fish, birds, snakes, land predators that eat juveniles. During unfavorable climatic periods (cold, heat and drought), crocodile caimans hibernate, while they lose activity, do not feed, often burrow into the mud. The life expectancy of crocodile caiman in the wild is on average 30-40 years, in captivity – more than 20 years.

SIMILAR ANIMALS

Крокодиловый кайман
Caiman crocodilus
Timsoh Kayman
Caiman crocodilus
Nil timsohi
Crocodylus niloticus
Нильский крокодил
Crocodylus niloticus