Spectacled caiman

Caiman crocodilus · The spectacled caiman is a small to medium-sized crocodilian with a bony ridge between its eyes, native to much of Latin America.

Also called Common caiman, White caiman, Speckled caiman.

Spectacled caiman
Photo: Fernando Flores from Caracas, Venezuela, CC BY-SA 2.0
Spectacled caiman
Photo: Renzo Tirado, CC BY-SA 4.0
Spectacled caiman
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderCrocodilia
FamilyAlligatoridae
GenusCaiman
SpeciesCaiman crocodilus

Where it lives

Rivers, lakes and wetlands from southern Mexico to Peru and Brazil.

Fun facts

  • The temperature inside a spectacled caiman nest decides the babies' sex: about 32 °C or hotter makes females, and cooler makes males.
  • Mother caimans build nest mounds of plants, and as the vegetation rots it makes heat that keeps the eggs about 5 °C warmer than mud alone would.
  • Spectacled caimans run nurseries called crèches, where one female looks after her own young as well as several other females' babies.
  • This caiman changes color with the seasons, looking darker in colder weather as the black pigment in its skin cells expands.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).