Broad-snouted caiman

Language English

Onglets

Description

Distinguishing features

The green color with grayish tones of the broad-snouted caiman enables it to camouflage itself in areas that are thick in vegetation.

Its short, sturdy snout is as broad as its head.

Females are noticeably smaller than males.

Reproduction

The first rain of the wet season would seem to stimulate ovulation in the female. She builds her nest with mud and plants. The mound created measures 60 cm in height and up to 1.50 m in diameter. Between 20 and 60 eggs are laid there in two layers. Heat comes from the ground and from the decomposition of organic matter that is part of the nest.

Incubation lasts 70 days, during which the female remains at the nest. There is a period when the temperature in the nest determines the sex of the juvenile. Other factors, like the mother’s stress and estrogen levels, also have that effect.

Sexual maturity is reached at the age of 5 in the female and between 4 and 6 for the male.

Diet

The young caiman feeds mostly on shrimp, snails and small fish. The adult, however, chooses larger prey, essentially fish but also crabs, amphibians, snakes, turtles and mammals. Its jaws allow it to easily break open the shells of its prey.

Its snout, shorter than that of other crocodilians, would be an adaptation that allows it to catch its prey more easily in a marshy environment where aquatic vegetation is extremely dense.

Some writers consider this caiman to be omnivorous rather than carnivorous, and believe that it plays an important role in scattering the seeds of the plants it consumes.

Predators

The young of this caiman species are often taken by birds of prey (caracaras and hawks) and by jabirus. They have a high mortality rate.

Humans have hunted the broad-snouted caiman a good deal for its skin, which is especially smooth. Its flesh and eggs are eaten as well. It is now reared on specialized farms.

It is not aggressive towards humans except when defending itself or in cases of extreme hunger.

Habitat

The broad-snouted caiman is the southernmost of the South American crocodilians. It has been observed in swampy habitats of the Pantanal, in river basins in Paraguay and Paraná, in the south, and in the São Francisco River in northeastern Brazil.

It frequents marshes, swamps, mangroves, and tidal lowlands along the Atlantic coast. It can also be found in artificial ponds created for livestock.

While it inhabits diverse habitats, in areas where its range overlaps with that of the yacare caiman, it avoids competition by keeping to slow water and dense forests.

Its dark colouration absorbs more heat than other caimans, allowing it to regulate its body temperature at altitudes of up to 600 metres.

Though it prefers tropical climates, it can live in more temperate, drier climates, such as Uruguay and northern Argentina, which are unsuitable for other crocodilian species.

Ecology, behaviour

Despite being a nocturnal animal, it can be observed during the day while warming up in the sun.

When hatching is close, the parents busy themselves with removing the plants that had been collected to cover the eggs. The female may take the eggs in her mouth, and in exerting slight pressure, helps the young emerge from their shells. The female then carries them to where she can put them down in the water. She may remain for several months with her young.

It is estimated that there are between 250,000 and 500,000 individuals in the wild. Many broad-snouted caimans live in captivity on farms designed to repopulate the natural environment and for commercial exploitation.

Its greatest threats now are mining operations, deforestation to make way for agriculture, and the construction of hydroelectric dams.

French name

Caïman à museau large

Scientific name

Caiman latirostris

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Crocodilia

Family

Alligatoridae

Size

Max. 3.5 m; generally 2 to 2.5 m

Weight

Max. 90 kg

Life span

Max. 58 years in captivity

Status

IUCN (2020): Of least concern CITES: Appendix I except in Argentina: Appendix II

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