You are here
Species
Caiman crocodilus Gorzula & Senaris 1999
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
This taxon occurs in the Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests, an ecoregion covering the lowland Atlantic versant at chiefly below 500 metres elevation in southern Nicaragua, northern Costa Rica, and most of Panama; these moist forests represent the epitome of wet, tropical jungle. This forest ecoregion evolved from unique combinations of North American and South American flora and fauna, which came together with the joining of these continents around three million years before present.
The ecoregion is classified to be within the Tropical and Subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome. Currently, much of this ecoregion has been converted to subsistence and commercial agriculture. The Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests exhibit a high level of species richness, with 1021 vertebrate taxa alone having been recorded here, with a particularly vast assortment of amphibians, many of which are endemic or near endemic; moreover, among the amphibians there are many representatives of anuran, salamander and caecilian taxa.
This ecoregion located at the juncture of Central and South America. Condensation over the warm land produced by moisture-laden air from the Caribbean Sea colliding with the mountains produces constant high humidity and precipitation. Annual rainfall ranges from about 2500 millimetres (mm) in central Panama to over 5000 mm in southern Nicaragua. Basalt bedrock is the parent material of the residual and often unconsolidated soils covering the hilly areas of this ecoregion. Old alluvial terraces form the base of the swamp forests and flat lands in the lowest elevations and near the Caribbean Sea coast. The northern section of this ecoregion is formed of a wide, relatively flat alluvial plain, with a gradual elevation change from sea level to 500 metres in elevation
This ecoregion is characterised by a lush, high canopy tropical evergreen forest of huge buttressed trees reaching 40 metres (m) in height, and an associated rich epiphytic flora. The palm component includes many sub-canopy and understory species. Abundant subcanopy palm species are Amargo Palm (Welfia regia), Walking Palm (Socratea exorrhiza), and in permanently flooded areas, Raphia taedigera. Seasonal swamp forests occur in the lowest and flattest areas in Nicaragua and northern Costa Rica, particularly along the coastal zone, where they grade into mangrove forests. In these swamp forests, Gavilán Tree (Pentaclethra macroloba) dominates the canopy, along with Caobilla (Carapa nicaraguensis). The Almendro (Dipteryx panamensis) and the Monkey-pot Tree (Lecythis ampla) are two notable canopy emergents.
While small in areal size, the 1500 hectare La Selva Biological Station in northeastern Costa Rica hosts permanent populations of large predators such as the Jaguar (Panthera onca) and herbivores like Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii), probably because of its biological corridor connection to the upper montane forests of Braulio Carrillo National Park. The Atlantic lowlands and middle elevations contain some of the rarest butterfly species in Central America and some of the world's highest butterfly species richness.
A considerable number of amphibian taxa occur in the ecoregion. Endemic anurans to the Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests include the Misfit Leaf Frog (Agalychnis saltator), which breeds in swamps, but lives mostly in the tree canopy; the Tilaran Robber Frog (Craugastor mimus); Diasporus tigrillo and the Cross-banded Treefrog (Smilisca puma), found only on the Caribbean versant of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. A further endemic frog to the ecoregion is the Rio Changena Robber Frog (Craugastor jota), narrowly limited to Río Changena, Provincia Bocas del Toro, Panamá. Other anuran species found here are: Veragua Robber Frog (Craugastor rugosus), a nocturnal anuran whose ova are laid in leaf litter; Agua Buena Robber Frog (Diasporus vocator), whose breeding occurs in bromeliads.
An endemic reptile found in the Costa Rican part of the ecoregion is the Viquez's Tropical Ground Snake (Trimetopon viquezi). Four taxa of marine turtles are found in the ecoregion's coastal zones, including the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas EN), who may take almost six decades to reach sexual maturity; the Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata CR) is another marine species found here. In addition a number of freshwater turtles are found here such as the Brown Wood Turtle (Rhinoclemmys annulata LR/NT). Other reptiles found in the ecoregion include the Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus LR/NT); and Cienega Colorado Worm Salamander (Oedipina uniformis NT), a limited range amphibian found only in Costa Rica along slopes surrounding the Meseta Central.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | cc-by-nc-sa-3.0 |
Source | http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/51cbee417896bb431f696783/?topic=51cbfc79f702fc2ba8129ee0 |
This taxon is found in the Panamanian dry forests, but not necessarily limited to this ecoregion. The Panamanian dry forests ecoregion occupies approximately 2000 square miles of coastal and near-coastal areas on the Pacific versant of Panama, around portions of the Gulf of Panama. Plant endemism is intermediate, and vertebrate species richness is quite high in the Panamanian dry forests.This key ecoregion is highly threatened from its extensive ongoing exploitation. Beyond the endemism and species richness, the ecoregion is further significant, since it offers a biological corridor from the moist forests to the coastal mangroves.
Plant endemism is intermediate in value within the Panamanian dry forests, likely elevated due to the (a) isolation of this ecoregion from the surrounding and intervening moist forest habitat; (b) arid conditions which likely enhanced speciation and hence species richness; and (c) absence of prehistoric glaciation, which has extinguished many species in more extreme latitudes.
Many of the plants are well adapted to herbivory defense through such morphologies as spiny exteriors and other features. Forest canopies are typically less than twenty meters, with a few of the highest species exceeding that benchmark. Caesalpinia coriaria is a dominant tree in the Azuero Peninsula portion of the dry forests, while Lozania pittieri is a dominant tree in the forests near Panama City. The vegetative palette is well adapted to the dry season, where water is a precious commodity.
Faunal species richness is high in the Panamanian dry forests, as in much of Mesoamerica, with a total of 519 recorded vertebrates alone within the Panamanian dry forests. Special status reptiles in the Panamanian dry forests include the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), the Lower Risk/Near Threatened Brown Wood Turtle (Rhinoclemmys annulata), the Lower Risk/Near Threatened Common Caiman (Caiman crocodilus), the Lower Risk/Near Threatened Common Slider (Trachemys scripta), and the Critically Endangered Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). There are two special status amphibian in the ecoregion: the Critically endangered plantation Glass Frog (Hyalinobatrachium colymbiphyllum) and the Vulnerable Camron mushroom-tongued salamander (Bolitoglossa lignicolor).
Threatened mammals found in the Panamanian dry forests include the: Endangered Central American Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), the Vulnerable Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the Near Threatened Handley’s Tailless Bat (Anoura cultrata), the Vulnerable Lemurine Night Monkey (Aotus lemurinus), the Near Threatened Margay (Leopardus wiedii), the Near Threatened Yellow Isthmus Rat (Isthmomys flavidus), the Near Threatened White-lipped Peccary (Tayassu pecari), and the Near Threatened Spectral Bat (Vampyrum spectrum). There are two special status bird species occurring in the ecoregion: the Endangered Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) and the Near Threatened Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | cc-b-nc-sa 3.0 |
Source | http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/51cbfb917896bb431f6bfc3c/ |
Caiman crocodilus, the spectacled, common, or brown caiman, is a crocodilian native to northern South America, Central America, and certain parts of the Caribbean. They are native to the following countries: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, Tobago, and Venezuela. They have been introduced into Florida, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced ); neotropical (Native )
- Ross, C. 1989. Crocodiles and Alligators. New York, New York: Facts on File, Inc..
- Bartlett, R., P. Bartlett. 2003. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Amazon. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida.
- Kohler, G. 2003. Reptiles of Central America. Offenbach, Germany: Herpeton.
- Crocodile Specialist Group, 1996. "Caiman crocodilus" (On-line). Accessed November 10, 2009 at http://www.redlist.org/apps/redlist/details/46584/0.
- University of Southern Mississippi, 2009. "“CAIMAN CROCODILUS (LINNAEUS)”" (On-line). Accessed October 21, 2009 at http://nis.gsmfc.org/nis_factsheet.php?toc_id=207#impacts.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Caiman_crocodilus/ |
Spectacled caimans are carnivorous generalists. Prey items change as they grow from smaller to larger caimans. Prey can include insects, snails, shrimp, crabs, fish, lizards, snakes, turtles, birds, and mammals. Spectacled caimans have at least 105 prey items reported in their diet. Cannibalism can occur, especially under drought conditions, when many caimans of different sizes are concentrated in small areas. However this species can be surprisingly unaggressive and tolerant of temporarily dense concentrations during the dry season.
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; amphibians; reptiles; fish; carrion ; insects; terrestrial non-insect arthropods; mollusks; aquatic crustaceans
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates, Piscivore , Insectivore , Eats non-insect arthropods, Molluscivore , Scavenger )
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Caiman_crocodilus/ |
La temporada de cortejo y apareamiento para esta especie ocurre entre los meses de marzo a agosto y la anidación entre agosto y octubre. El caimán construye nidos en forma de montículo con barro u hojas. Los nidos presentan un diámetro medio de 110 cm y una altura entre 40 y 50 cm. El tamaño de la nidada varia entre 15 y 40 huevos, según el tamaño y edad de la hembra. El período de incubación esta entre los 75 y 80 días. La mayoría de los nidos se encuentran entre grupos de árboles y arbustos, pero se han observado unos en zonas de campo abierto y sobre formas flotantes de vegetación acuática. La hembra se encarga de proteger el nido durante el período de incubación, abandonándolo solo cuando requiere alimentarse. Los caimancitos miden al nacer de 200 a 225 mm.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ |
Rights holder/Author | CONABIO |
Source | http://www.conabio.gob.mx/conocimiento/ise/fichasnom/Caimancrocodilus00.pdf |
Comments: In 1979, santioned trade exceeded 500,000 skins, essentially all of which resulted from hunting of wild populations (Magnuson 1984). See Thorbjarnarson (1999) for a discussion of the limits to sustainable use of crocodilians.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Caiman+crocodilus |
occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Caiman+crocodilus |
Comments: Eats fish, amphibians, reptiles, small birds and mammals, snails, crabs and other crustaceans, and insects; diet may shift seasonally and ontogenetically (Behler and King 1979, Herpetologica 49:108).
Es una especie ovípara. Construyen nidos compuestos por montículos de diferentes materiales que incluyen hojas, ramas y barro. Se han reportado nacimientos durante todo el año. La incubación dura aproximadamente 75 días. Los individuos juveniles producen vocalizaciones que estimulan a los adultos padres a abrir el nido y permitir su salida. Esta vocalización se mantiene por un período de hasta 4 meses y estimula a los adultos a regresar, lo cual se asocia con conductas de defensa.
La piel puede ser usada para elaborar artículos de cuero fino.