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THE SPECTACLED CAIMAN

COMMON NAMES:
Common caiman, Spectacled caiman, Tinga, Baba, Babilla, Caiman Blanco, Caiman de Brasil, Cascarudo, Jacaretinga, Lagarto, Lagarto Blanco, Yacaré Blanco

LOCATIONS:
Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba*, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico*, Suriname, Tobago, Trinidad, United States*, Venezuela

ENVIRONMENTS:
Extremely adaptable species found in virtually all lowland wetland and river habitats although it generally prefers areas of still water. The Spectacled has the widest distribution of any species in the Alligatoridae family. They can tolerate a reasonable degree of salinity. If environmental conditions become too harsh, they will burrow into mud and ride it out!

STATUS:
IUCN-International Union of Conservation of Nature (Little Risk and Least Concern)
Estimated wild population: over 1,000,000
Summary: The most common of all crocodilian species.

APPEARANCE:
A relatively small to medium sized crocodilian reaching lengths of 6-7ft, with the largest specimens reported to approach 9ft or 3 m. Females are smaller, reaching a mean maximum size of 3-4ft (1.4 m). Its common name comes from a bony ridge which is present between the front of the eyes (infra-orbital bridge), appearing to join the eyes like a pair of spectacles. A triangular ridge is present on the heavily-ossified upper eyelids, similar to those on the dinosaur Allosaurus.

DIET:
Juveniles take a variety of aquatic invertebrates (insects, crustaceans, molluscs). As they grow, various vertebrates take up a greater percentage of the diet. These include fish, amphibians, reptiles and water birds. Observations show that as conditions become drier, caimans stop feeding. Cannibalism has been reported under such conditions. The ecological importance of this species has been demonstrated in terms of nutrient recycling - nitrogenous waste re-enters the ecosystem to the benefit of other plants and animals. In areas where this species has become depleted, fish populations have also shown a decline. They are also reputed to control piranha numbers.

BREEDING:
Females become sexually mature at about 3ft, which may be between 4 and 7 years. Males mature at larger sizes than females, but similar ages (4ft and 4 to 7 years). Social status affects growth rate and hence readiness for breeding. Less dominant animals grow less quickly due to stress, and often do not get the chance to breed. Gonads begin to increase in size towards the end of the dry season (April to May) and peak at the start of the wet season (May to June). Courtship and mating generally occur between May and August, and the eggs (from 14 to 40, mean size being around 22) are laid during July to August in a mound nest constructed from soil and vegetation. Nest predators include large, monitor-like lizards, which can destroy up to 80% of nests in an area. Females will remain close to nests in an attempt to dissuade predators. When the juveniles hatch after around 90 days, there is usually a plentiful supply of invertebrate food available due to the timing of hatching. In the period following hatching, juveniles will remain in groups close to the female, and will follow her around even over land between different pools.

CONSERVATION:
This species has actually benefited from commercial utilization. The skin of Spectacled is not ideally suited to tanning, as the ventral scales contain well-developed osteoderms. Only the lateral flanks provide skin of an acceptable quality for tanning. The numbers of caimans harvested since then has been huge, and they currently supply the vast majority of the hide market in America. Leather from this species is often passed off as American Alligator.