SPECTACLED CAIMAN

CHARACTERISTICS: Of relatively small size, the males reach 2-2’5m, although the larger ones rarely reach 3m. The females are smaller (1,4m). Its name derives from a bony area between the eyes (infra-orbital bridge) which appears to join the eyes like a mask.
DIET: Includes fish, amphibians, reptiles and aquatic birds, larger individuals can eat the odd mammal.
REPRODUCTION: The gonads begin to increase in size from the end of the dry season (April to May). Courtship and mating generally takes place between May and August and the eggs (14-40) are laid during the wet season (July to August) in a nest in the shape of a small mound made from vegetation.
CURIOSITIES: Its ecological importance lies in the position it occupies in the food chain as recycler of nitrogenised compounds. In the areas where this species has become extinct, the fish populations have also shown to be in decline. They are also reputed to be controllers of piranha populations.