Reptiles of Tambopata

The black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) is a large crocodilian and the biggest extant member of the family, Alligatoridae. It is a carnivorous reptile that lives along slow-moving rivers, lakes, seasonally flooded savannas of the Amazon basin, and in other freshwater habitats of South America. It is a quite large species, growing to sizes of at least 5 m (16 ft) and possibly up to 6 m (20 ft) in length. As their name implies, the black caiman has a dark... less ↑

Cuvier's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), also known as Cuvier's smooth-fronted caiman or the musky caiman, is a small crocodilian from northern and central South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela. It lives primarily near fast stretches of stream, but also in nutrient-deficient waters. less ↑

The smooth-fronted caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus), also known as Schneider's dwarf caiman or Schneider's smooth-fronted caiman, is a crocodilian from South America where it is native to the Amazon and Orinoco Basins. It is the second smallest species of the family Alligatoridae, the smallest being Cuvier's dwarf caiman, also from tropical South America and in the same genus. An adult typically grows to around 1.2 to 1.6 m (3.9 to 5.2 ft) in length and weighs somewhere between 9 and 20 kg (20 and 44 lb). Exceptionally large males... less ↑