Caiman (genus): Difference between revisions

'''''Caiman''''' is a genus of [[caiman]]s within the [[alligatorid]] [[subfamily (biology)|subfamily]] [[Caimaninae]]. They inhabit [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]]. They are relatively small sized crocodilians, with all species reaching lengths of only a few meters and weighing {{convert|6|to|40|kg|lb|abbr=on}} on average.

 

Caimans are similar to alligators in morphology but differ in having bony plates, known as [[osteoderm]]s, buried in the skin on the underside. The broad-snouted and spectacled caimans are characterised by having a bony ridge across the bridge of the nose just below the eyes.<ref name=Burton>{{cite book|author1=Burton, Maurice |author2=Burton, Robert |title=International Wildlife Encyclopedia: Brown bear – cheetah|url=https://archive.org/details/internationalwil10burt0 |url-access=registration |year=2002 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-0-7614-7269-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/internationalwil10burt0/page/n65 358]–360}}</ref> The yacare caiman is the largest species in the genus, attaining an average adult length of {{convert|2.5|to|3|m|ft|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://crocodilian.com/cnhc/csp_cyac.htm |title=''Caiman yacare'' (Daudin, 1802) |author=Briton, Adam |work=Crocodilian species list |accessdate=2015-09-09}}</ref> the spectacled caiman reaches {{convert|2|to|2.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}, with the female rather smaller,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://crocodilian.com/cnhc/csp_ccro.htm |title=''Caiman crocodilus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |author=Briton, Adam |work=Crocodilian species list |accessdate=2015-09-09}}</ref> and the broad-snouted caiman is the smallest, more typically measuring {{convert|1.8|to|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} for males and {{convert|1.2|to|1.4|m|ft|abbr=on}} for females.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://crocodilian.com/cnhc/csp_clat.htm |title=''Caiman latirostris'' (Daudin, 1801) |author=Briton, Adam |work=Crocodilian species list |accessdate=2015-09-09}}</ref>