Black Caiman

[Dark Jaguar]

PREDATION OF LARGER ANIMALS.

https://pt.qaz.wiki/wiki/Black_caiman

''Black caimans are top predators on a generalist diet and can attack virtually any land and river animal found in their range. Similar to other large crocodilians black caimans have been observed catching and eating smaller species such as spectacled caimans and sometimes cannibalizing smaller individuals of their own species. The youngsters eat mainly small fish, frogs and invertebrates such as crustaceans and insects but with time and size they start to eat larger fish including piranhas, catfish and perch which remain a significant source of food for all caimans. Dietary studies focused on young caimans (due to the fact that they are often more common than large adults and are easier to handle), the largest specimen examined for stomach contents in a study having only 1.54 m (5.1 ft), notably below sexual maturity size, which is at least 2 m (6.6 ft) in smaller females. Although it is known that several prey are captured by young caimans, dietary studies have shown that snails generally dominate the diet of young caimans followed by very small fish. Fish were the main prey of sub-adult-sized caimans in Manú National Park, Peru.

Several prey will be taken according to availability including snakes, turtles, birds and mammals, the latter two especially when they come to drink on the banks of rivers. The prey of mammals includes mainly common species of the Amazon such as several monkeys, sloths, armadillos, pacas, cutias, quatis and capybaras. Larger specimens can catch virtually any terrestrial or riverine vertebrate in South America with the misfortune of finding them. Large prey may include other species of caimans, deer, peccaries, tapirs, anacondas, giant otters and domestic animals including pigs, dogs and even cattle. Scars on Amazon River dolphins suggest that they may occasionally be attacked by black caimans.

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EYE WITNESS CASE OF PREDATION ON TAPIR.

Back in 2001 it aired on globo reporter here in Brazil an edition about the amazon with a case of predation on tapir explained by the local resident  Geovan Sales at 22:08min of the video bellow.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUqlP3dCQ2w

The big tapir was found 4 years ago in a lagoon when it was still a baby, it was abandoned cause it lost its mother.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Geovan Neves - ''The caiman caught its mother.''

Reporter - ''a Black Caiman?''

Geovan Neves - ''Yes, a black caiman of around 4 meters long caught its mother then they  brouth him to the inn here. and we took care of it feeding with bread and milk''

Despite docile this Tapir still got wild habits it spends all day in the forest it only comes to the inn at night to eat and to receive caress before returning to the wild.

Geovan Neves - ''Ever since he was little he lost fear of humans and have been taken care of by us.''

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Reporter - ''But the jaguars don't treat this tapir well look its all scratched by jaguar claws.''

Geovan Sales - '' Yes, this one happened probably this week, the jaguar attacked him back here on this recent mark, and when the jaguar attacks it it will come from back here and the first time he was attacked we accostumed him when he appears with a serious injury that is hard to heal we apply remedy with the vets.''

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Well fed and fed up with the caress. the animal go for a bath and enjoy the full moon, it was exact in this same river that the Black Caiman attacked and left him orphan but he doesn't care about the danger, after the bath he returns back to the forest to meet his partner and continue the fight for the survival in the wild.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

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Massive Black Caiman show up thrashing and tearing apart an unknown animal in a man's backyard in the Brazilian flooded Amazon.

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Black Caiman predating on Amazonic river Dolphin.

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Black Caiman tearing Deer apart in Ecuador.

credits: Dominika Milek  

''In the gloomy forest of the beautiful Yasuní National Park I had a chance to experience the most extraordinary encounter of my life. I sat in a canoe while my guides were slowly paddling back to our lodge, when we suddenly spotted a shiny eye sticking out of the water. The canoe stopped. We watched in complete silence yet unaware of the amazing spectacle which was about to take place before our eyes. A quite large size black caiman rose up, revealing the lifeless body of a little deer. My heart began to speed up. This huge reptile started banging the little body against the shore with incredible strength. I was trying to control my shaking hands in order to take a picture, smelling the odour of the deer's guts, hearing the body shattering on the ground and seeing the blood flowing out. I was scared and excited. Naturally part of me felt sorry for the poor little deer, but the other one understood it was just the simple circle of life. I felt so grateful to witness the real power of nature.''

*This image is copyright of its original author

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Black Caimans feeding and competing for fishes.

VIDEO

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Black Caiman predating on Domestic Dog.

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Black Caiman with Capybara kill.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

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Black Caiman cannibalizing a juvenile Black Caiman that seems to be hooked by fishermen in Cururu river - Pará - Brazil.

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Black Caimans predating and ripping apart Pirarucu ( Arapaima gigas ).

*This image is copyright of its original author

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