Caiman
Caimans | |
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Yacare caiman, Caiman yacare | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Clade: | Archosauromorpha |
Clade: | Archosauriformes |
Order: | Crocodilia |
Family: | Alligatoridae |
Subfamily: | Caimaninae Brochu, 1999 |
Type genus | |
Caiman Spix, 1825
| |
Genera and species | |
See below |
A caiman (
Caimans are distinguished from alligators, their closest relatives, by a few defining features: a lack of a bony septum between the nostrils, ventral armor composed of overlapping bony scutes formed from two parts united by a suture, and longer and sharper teeth than alligators, plus caimans tend to be more agile and crocodile-like in their movements.[3] The calcium rivets on caiman scales make their hides stiffer.
Several extinct forms are known, including Purussaurus, a giant Miocene genus that grew to 12 m (39 ft) and the equally large Mourasuchus, which had a wide duck-like snout.[4]
Behavior
Caimans are predators and, like alligators and crocodiles, their diet largely consists of fish. Caimans also hunt insects, birds, small mammals and reptiles.
Due to their large size and ferocious nature, caimans have few natural predators within their environments. Humans are their main predators, because the animals have been hunted for their meat and skin.
Female caimans build a large nest in which to lay their eggs. The nests can be more than 1.5 m (4.9 ft) wide. Female caimans lay between 10 and 50 eggs, which hatch within about six weeks. Once they have hatched, the mother caiman takes her young to a shallow pool of water, where they can learn how to hunt and swim.
Phylogeny
Caimaninae is
Below is a
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Taxonomy
- Subfamily Caimaninae
- Genus †Acresuchus
- Genus †Brachychampsa[8]
- Genus †Bottosaurus[9]
- Genus
- Genus †Chinatichampsus
- Genus †Protocaiman
- Genus †Kuttanacaiman
- Genus †Gnatusuchus
- Genus †Culebrasuchus
- Genus †Eocaiman
- Genus †Globidentosuchus
- Genus Paleosuchus
- P. palpebrosus, Cuvier's dwarf caiman
- P. trigonatus, smooth-fronted caiman
- Genus †Purussaurus
- Genus †Mourasuchus
- Genus †Necrosuchus
- Genus †Orthogenysuchus
- Genus †Tsoabichi
- Genus Caiman
- C. yacare, yacare caiman
- C. crocodilus, spectacled caiman
- C. c. crocodilus, spectacled caiman
- C. c. apaporiensis, Rio Apaporis caiman
- C. c. fuscus, Brown caiman
- †C. lutescens
- †C. venezuelensis
- †C. wannlangstoni
- †C. brevirostris
- C. latirostris, broad-snouted caiman
- Genus Melanosuchus
- †M. fisheri
- M. niger, black caiman
- †
References
- ^ Dictionary.com, retrieved February 16, 2021
- ISBN 978-99904-2-300-6.
- ISBN 978-0-7153-5272-4.
- JSTOR 3889340.
- doi:10.1146/annurev.earth.31.100901.141308. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- .
- S2CID 83972694.
- PMID 34567843.
- .