Knowra Caiman Caiman A crocodilian in the subfamily Caimaninae, native to Central and South America. Caimans are distinguished from true crocodiles by features including a bony plate in the lower eyelid.
Crocodilia : An order of large, semiaquatic reptiles that includes crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharials. Caimans belong to this order alongside crocodiles, alligators, and gharials.
Spectacled caiman : A widespread caiman species with a bony ridge between the eyes resembling spectacles. It is the most broadly distributed caiman species.
Crocodilian senses : The sensory systems crocodilians use to detect prey and navigate, including vision, hearing, and pressure-sensitive skin organs. Caimans locate prey in water using sensory adaptations shared by crocodilians.
Wetland : An ecosystem where water covers or saturates the soil for part or all of the year. Wetlands provide the aquatic and nesting habitats on which caiman populations depend.
Alligatoridae : A crocodilian family that includes alligators and caimans. Caimans belong to this family, unlike true crocodiles and gharials.
Yacare caiman : A caiman species native to central South America, especially the Pantanal and Paraguay River basin. Its dense populations in the Pantanal show how abundant some caimans can be.
Crocodilian jaw : The muscular, bone-supported jaw apparatus crocodilians use to seize and hold prey. Its powerful bite enables caimans to capture prey larger than many aquatic predators can manage.
Apex predator : A predator at the top of a food web, with few or no natural predators as an adult. Large caimans can regulate prey populations and structure aquatic food webs.
Caimaninae : A subfamily of alligatorids comprising living caimans and their extinct relatives. This subfamily is the precise taxonomic group named in the definition.
Black caiman : The largest living caiman species, native to the Amazon Basin. Its size makes it the dominant caiman predator in many Amazonian habitats.
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