Wildlife
Yacare caiman
Yacare caiman are also known as the piranha caiman, owing to its habit of eating piranhas, they also eat aquatic snails, snakes and other fish. Yacare caiman construct mound nests into which the females lay their eggs during the rainy season.
Scientific name: Caiman yacare
Rank: Species
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Pantanal caiman kill
Planet Earth
Clever caiman make the most of an opportunity as wood stork chicks fledge.
The giant waterworld of the Pantanal's impenetrable swamps has largely been ignored by wildlife filmmakers. Extensive research through local experts uncovered this location, a breeding roost favoured by spoonbills and woodstorks. The resident caiman have learned that by waiting around at the base of the roost at fledging time there's a good chance of grabbing an unwary chick.
Distribution
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Yacare caiman can be found in a number of locations including: Amazon Rainforest, South America. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
Habitats
The following habitats are found across the Yacare caiman distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Flooded grassland
Rivers and streams
Tropical dry forest
Tropical grassland
RainforestBehaviours
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Ambush predator
Adapted to swimming
Camouflage
Carnivorous
Acoustic communication
Maternal care
Egg layer
Visual communication
PredatorAdditional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Conservation Status
Least Concern
- EX - Extinct
- EW
- CR - Threatened
- EN - Threatened
- VU - Threatened
- NT
- LC - Least concern
Year assessed: 1996
Classified by: IUCN 2.3
About
The Yacare caiman (Caiman yacare, Jacaré in Portuguese) is a species of caiman found in central South America, including northeastern Argentina, Uruguay eastern Bolivia, central/south-west Brazil, and the rivers of Paraguay. Approximately 10 million individual Yacare Caiman exist within the Brazilian Pantanal, representing what is quite possibly the largest single crocodilian population on Earth. As a medium-small sized crocodilian, most adult individuals grow to roughly 2 or 2.5 m (6.6 or 8.2 ft) in length, with the occasional 3 m (9.8 ft) individual (there are reports of occasional 4 m (13 ft) individuals within the Pantanal, but this is yet to be verified.) Their smaller size makes them a favorite prey of the jaguar and Yellow Anaconda. This species diet consists primarily of fish (especially piranha) and birds, with the occasional capybara being taken by larger adults. In general, all species of caiman (the exception being the large black caiman) are incapable of seriously harming or consuming humans.
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Classification
BBC News about Yacare caiman
- Zoo baby A zoo in Lancashire was surprised to find a new addition to their reptile collection - a tiny baby yacare caiman.
Video collections
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Elsewhere on the web
- Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- ARKive: Images of Life on Earth (arkive.org)
- Florida Museum of Natural History fact file (flmnh.ufl.edu)
- Conserving the yacare caiman's habitat (theconservationlandtrust.org)
- Yacare caiman on Zipcodezoo (zipcodezoo.com)
- Yacare Caiman (wikipedia.org)
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