| Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus (Cuvier, 1807)) |
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Scientific name: Paleosuchus palpebrosus (Cuvier, 1807) Common name: Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman French name: Caïman nain de Cuvier, Caïman rouge, Caïman à front lisse, Caïman nain. Order: Crocodilia Suborder: Family: Alligatoridae Size: Size: 1.4 m for males; 1.2 m for females. Weight: 6 to 7 kg. Habitat : Rivers and flooded savannah. The Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman can live in colder water than the other species of caiman. Food: Fishes, amphibians, small mammals, birds, crabs, molluscs, shrimps and small aquatic invertebrates. Reproduction : Cuvier's Dwarf Caimans build nests with mud and plant materials in which females lay 10 to 25 eggs. Incubation lasts 90 days. The sex of young caiman depends on the temperature of the nest during this period. The females only stay a few weeks with the young caimans till they disperse. Geographic area: North and centre of South America, east of the Andes. Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay. |
The Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman is characterized by its small size and by the lack of a bony crest on the forehead between the eyes. It is generally a dark brown colour with a reddish head. The lower mandible is a lighter colour and marked with darker spots. The muzzle is short. The scales of the neck and back are very slightly keeled. The back bears 4 rows of scales which are regularly positioned, not tapering between the hind legs. There is a possible confusion with the Schneider's Dwarf Caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus) which is also a small size caiman lacking the bony crest between the eyes. This last one is a less reddish colour. The scales of the neck and back show well marked keels. The rows of scales on the back strongly taper between the hind legs. |
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I have shot this picture during a boat tour on the marshes of Caw. We have tried to observe the caimans at nightfall and it has been rather easy to approach the younger ones among aquatic vegetation. |
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This one has no bony crest between the eyes. I have chosen the Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman species because of the reddish colour. A view of the back would have been useful to confirm. |
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Here is a closer view. It's difficult to compose the picture when you have a fixed focal length and when you get too close to the subject ... |
André Bon January 2015