Habitat And Lifestyle Of Caiman

The caiman (scientific name: Caiman crocodiles) is a reptile similar to the crocodile that inhabits the South and Central American continent, favoring the river and wetland areas, being able to live in both fresh and salt water. The males range between six to seven feet in length with the females reaching about five feet. One of the common names for the caiman is the spectacled caiman, resulting in the bony ridge between the eyes. Young caiman have yellow coloring with black spots and bands on both the body and tail, these disappear with age, turning a dark olive color as the crocodile ages.

The caiman is a large aquatic reptile found in the swamps and tropical rivers that cover Central and South America. Although the caimans have much narrower bodies, they are most closely related to alligators and crocodiles.

Caimans are found in a variety of habitats throughout Central and South America from marshes and swamps to mangrove rivers and lakes. As with other reptiles, caimans have scaly skin and live a fairly nocturnal existence.

Caimans range in size from the dwarf caiman which measures just over a meter in length, to the black caiman which can to grow to be nearly 5 meters long. The black caiman is the largest caiman species in the world and is found in the slow-moving rivers and lakes that surround the Amazon basin.

There are six different species of caiman found throughout the watery, jungle habitats of Central and Southern America. The average length for most of the other caiman species if about 2.5 meters long.
The caiman is a carnivorous predators and, like the alligator and the crocodile, the caiman has a diet that consists of a great deal of fish. The caiman also hunts insects, birds and small mammals and reptiles.

What They Eat:

The juvenile caiman eat insects, mollusks and small sea and water life such as crawfish and shrimp. The larger the caiman grows; it eats more small animals, birds and fish. Adult caiman feast on animals such as wild pigs and the meat eating piranha that inhabit the streams and rivers. Cannibalism has been observed when the climatic changes force changes in their food supply.

Habitat:

The wetland marshy areas and waterways are the places that the caiman lives in. This provides the concealment and nourishment for them to grow and thrive. The caiman rarely is found outside of the rainforest and wetlands area and their numbers can decline if threatened by drought.What They Eat:
The juvenile caiman eat insects, mollusks and small sea and water life such as crawfish and shrimp. The larger the caiman grows; it eats more small animals, birds and fish. Adult caiman feast on animals such as wild pigs and the meat eating piranha that inhabit the streams and rivers. Cannibalism has been observed when the climatic changes force changes in their food supply.

Breeding Habits:

The female caiman are ready to begin breeding when they reach roughly three and a half feet in size and are somewhere between four and seven years of age; the males mature when about four feet in length and about the same chronological age. The breeding season is begin at the start of the wet season, May to June and lasts until August. The social hierarchy determines the growth rate and chance to mate.

There are generally between fourteen and forty eggs laid in a nest made from a mound of vegetation and soil. The location of the nest is chosen to be hidden from the lizards that destroy the eggs. One nest may have eggs from several different females to increase survivability of the caiman. Once the eggs hatch nearly three months later, the supply of soft food is ready for them in the waters. The young caiman will stay close to the females for protection.

Due to the large size and ferocious nature of the caiman, it has few natural predators within its environment. Humans are the main predators of the caiman as they have been hunted for their meat and skin. Jaguars are the only other predator of the caiman.

Female caimans build a large nest in which to lay their eggs, which can be more than 1.5 meters wide. Female caimans lay between 10 and 50 eggs which hatch within about 6 weeks. Once they have hatched, the mother caiman takes her young to a shallow pool of water where they can learn how to hunt and swim.

Dwarf Crocodile Behaviour And Lifestyle

The Dwarf Crocodile is a small species of crocodile that is natively found in the rainforests of West Africa. The Dwarf Crocodile is the smallest species of crocodile in the world and is also one of the most distinctive with a short, broad snout and tough scales that cover their entire black body (most crocodiles do not have such armoured scales on their underside). These characteristics have led to the Dwarf Crocodile being known by a number of different names including the Broad-Snouted Crocodile, the Bony Crocodile and the Black Crocodile. There are two recognised species of Dwarf Crocodile which are the West African Dwarf Crocodile and the Congo Dwarf Crocodile which differ slightly in not just their location, but also in their appearance and behaviour. Although Dwarf Crocodiles are commonly found in parts of their natural range, their numbers in others have declined mainly due to habitat loss and hunting.

Dwarf Crocodile Anatomy and Appearance

The Dwarf Crocodile rarely grows to more than 1.6 meters in length with the largest known individuals reaching a maximum length of 1.9 meters. The body of the Dwarf Crocodile is black with a yellowish underside and is protected by tough, armoured scales, which are bony plates that not just protect it from injury but also prevent the animal from getting burnt by the hot sun. The Dwarf Crocodile has a number of adaptations that aid it when in the water including their vertically flattened, muscular tail that is used to propel their bodies when swimming and webbing between their toes which helps them to negotiate the slippery banks. Their eyes and nostrils are located on the top of their heads to enable the Dwarf Crocodile to both see and breathe whilst the rest of it's body is submerged, allowing it to both watch for prey and predators almost completely hidden.

Dwarf Crocodile Distribution and Habitat

The Dwarf Crocodile is found throughout a number of different countries in West Africa including Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone although the populations vary drastically in number between the regions. Dwarf Crocodiles tend to be found in slow-moving rivers in areas of dense rainforest along with swamps, permanent pools of water and seasonal floodplains. Despite being specially adapted to life in the water, Dwarf Crocodiles also spend a lot of time on land where they dig burrows in the river bank to rest during the day. They are however, severely threatened by the loss of their habitats throughout much of their natural range primarily in the form of deforestation for logging, to clear land for agriculture and make way for growing human settlements.

Dwarf Crocodile Behaviour and Lifestyle

The Dwarf Crocodile is a nocturnal and generally solitary animal that hunts for small prey both in the water and on the banks in the dark. During the day they rest in burrows which are dug into the ground of the river bank and are accessed through entrance and exit tunnels which can be several meters long. If however, they are unable to find a suitable burrowing site the Dwarf Crocodile will hide amongst submerged tree roots that hang into the water. The Dwarf Crocodile is a cold-blooded animal meaning that it has to sunbathe to warm it's body up to give it the energy to hunt, and enter the water in order to cool it down. When in the water, Dwarf Crocodiles sink their bodies down below the surface so that only their eyes and nostrils are exposed so they are able to hide from potential predators and ambush unsuspecting prey.

Dwarf Crocodile Reproduction and Life CyclesDwarf Crocodiles tend to breed at the beginning of the wet season (May - June) when a male will mate with a number of females that share his territory. The female then builds a nest by dragging rotting vegetation together to create a mound where she lays up to 20 white, leathery eggs. As the vegetation decomposes it releases heat which helps to keep the eggs warm whilst incubating. Female Dwarf Crocodiles will fiercely guard their eggs from predators until they hatch three months later, when the young call to her and she digs the them out of the mound to help them escape (they are even known to gently roll eggs that haven't yet hatched around in their mouths to crack the shell). The mother then gently picks her young up in her mouth and carries them down to the water ensuring that they get there safely. Although Dwarf Crocodiles are usually independent of their mother very quickly, some are known to stay close to her for at least a few weeks for safety.

Dwarf Crocodile Diet and Prey

The Dwarf Crocodile is a carnivorous animal meaning that is only eats other animals in order to survive. Fish, birds, crustaceans, frogs and toads make up the bulk of their diet along with the occasional small mammal. Dwarf Crocodiles snap their strong jaws shut to catch their prey which is secured by a powerful bite from their cone shaped, razor-sharp teeth. Unlike a number of other animal species, Dwarf Crocodiles continuously regrow and replace their old teeth which are pushed out by the new ones that develop below. They are however, unable to chew food and so must rely on tearing their prey into pieces that can then be swallowed whole. In areas where seasonal flooding occurs they are known to change their diet depending on the rains, eating more fish that are readily available with the floods and feeding more on crustaceans during the dry season.

Dwarf Crocodile Predators and Threats

Despite being a powerful predator itself, the small size of the Dwarf Crocodile means that it is an easier target than it's much larger relatives, with other crocodiles being the biggest threat to adults. The young and eggs however, are preyed upon by a number of different animals including birds, mammals and other reptiles despite the fierce guarding of them by their mother. The biggest threat though to Dwarf Crocodiles throughout much of their natural range today is people, primarily in the form of habitat destruction for timber and to use the land for agriculture including creating large plantations of oil palms. Dwarf Crocodiles are also hunted by local people in certain areas for food, with their tough skins then being used in the making of certain local products.

Crocodiles Are Tropical Reptiles

Crocodiles are tropical reptiles. They are thick skinned and lizard-like in shape. Adult crocodiles grow to between 2.5 m and 4.2 m. The African crocodile is recognisable by its narrow snout. It has three or four rows of protective scales on the back of its neck, which merge with the scales on its back (other members of the Crocodylus genus have only two rows of scales). The fourth tooth of the African crocodile’s lower jaw sits outside the crocodile’s lips even when its mouth is closed.

Crocodiles are found primarily in freshwater rivers that have dense vegetation cover. They can also be found in large lakes. Crocodiles are most at home in the water, but are able to travel on land.

Crocodiles are carnivores. They use their sharp teeth for catching and holding their prey. Their diet is thought to consist primarily of fish and small aquatic invertebrates. Young crocodiles feed on worms and insects. While adults eat frogs, tadpoles, and opportunistically on larger prey if it becomes available including humans.

The African crocodile is generally not found in groups, except during the onset of the breeding season. At the onset of the rainy season female crocodiles construct nests out of plant matter on the banks of rivers, although breeding occurs year-round. Female African crocodiles lay between 13 to 27 eggs about a week after they have finished building their nests.

The female remains close to the nest for the 110 day incubation period, but does not defend it quite as ferociously as many other species of crocodile. Once the eggs begin to hatch, and the hatchlings emit their characteristic chirping, the female breaks open the nest to assist in the hatching process. Predators of the hatchlings include the soft-shelled turtle, but most young African crocodiles survive to maturity.

Although the African crocodile does not have many natural predators, the crocodile population is declining due to over-hunting by man. Areas where the crocodile population is severely depleted, if not entirely wiped out include Angola, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Congo and Togo. The largest population stronghold exists in Gabon. Habitat destruction has also contributed to the population depletion.

Like any other crocodile, Gustavo the largest Nile crocodile comes from the Crocodylidae species. Being a true crocodile, Gustavo like any other great Crocodylus niloticus was  hatched in the crocodile habitat south of the Sahara desert where most of the deadly Nile crocodile are roam the African rivers, lakes, wetlands ponds and estuaries. Today many of the African Nile crocodiles are not in the endangered species list as crocodile hunting for its skin and meat has been restricted by many international bodies of animal protection which has resulted in proper data collection and monitoring of the Nile crocodile species.

Hunting tactics adapted to swimming and camouflage along the crocodile rivers
While In Burundi by the year 2004 Gustavo with plenty of food to eat and maturing with age, this great Nile crocodile was cloaking almost 60 years old measuring around 6.1 meters in length weighing approximately 1000kgs. Gustavo became to be known as the largest crocodile ever in Africa.

Gustavo became to be known as a man-eating crocodile as his sheer size and weight could not be sustained by the small fish to satisfy his huge appetite and also him being in the top hierarchy of the crocodile habitat in its native waters. Gustavo was well acquainted  with these waters and could swim for miles as is the case with most crocodiles in search of females to mate and the urge to explore and expand its territory.

Oldest Living Creatures Of Crocodiles

Crocodiles are one of the planets oldest living creatures, thought to be around 200 million years old which means that crocodiles were around in dinosaur times. Crocodiles live throughout the watery tropics of Africa, Asia, America and Australia, congregating in freshwater environments in the worlds lakes and rivers.Crocodiles feed on fish, reptiles and mammals, the prey size generally dependent on the size of the crocodile.

Legend has it that if you are being chased by a crocodile, the only chance you have of getting away is by outsmarting the crocodile. Apparently the way to do this is to run away from the crocodile diagonally down a hill! The myth says that crocodiles have a very slow turning circle meaning that if you run diagonally, the crocodile theoretically cant catch you!

As crazy as it sounds, crocodiles are known to swallow stones when they are on the banks of the water. The crocodile does this to not only help its digestive system but also to aid the crocodiles water buoyancy. It is thought that by swallowing stones, the crocodile may also be able to swim to deeper parts of the water.

The American crocodile is considered an endangered species in nearly all parts of its North, Central, and South American range. Survey data, except in the United States, is poor or nonexistent, but conservationists agree that illegal hunting and habitat depletion has reduced populations of this wide-ranging reptile to critical levels.

A small, remnant population lives in southern Florida, but most are found in southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Their habitat of choice is the fresh or brackish water of river estuaries, coastal lagoons, and mangrove swamps.

A prehistoric-looking creature, it is distinguishable from its cousin, the American alligator, by its longer, thinner snout, its lighter color, and two long teeth on the lower jaw that are visible when its mouth is closed.
This species is among the largest of the world's crocodiles, with Central and South American males reaching lengths of up to 20 feet (6.1 meters). Males in the U.S. population rarely exceed 13 feet (4 meters), however.

Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, birds, fish, crabs, insects, snails, frogs, and occasionally carrion. They have been known to attack people, but are far more likely to flee at the sight of humans.
Most countries in the American crocodile's range have passed protection laws, but unfortunately, few governments provide adequate enforcement.