Caiman (Paleosuchus, Melanosuchus, Caiman)

[Paleosuchus]

Since we have threads for crocodiles and alligators, these more unknown animals deserve some love :) I'll be posting miscellaneous data when i can for now, here is some of the stuff i've come across on the elusive Dwarf caiman(Palpebrosus and Trigonatus). Various data on morphology and ecology can be found below.

Trigonatus on the left, Palpebrosus on the right

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Between the two, Trigonatus has a more elongated snout whilst Palpebrosus has more of a "bulldog" skull.

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Live specimens
Palpebrosus

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Trigonatus

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Both of these heavily armored caiman have an earth tone coloration that allows them to perfectly blend into their environment, as evidenced by these photos courtesy of Arkive

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Here is some information from Fredrico Medem(1958) on the largest known individuals(at this time), behavior, and dietary habits

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ignoring the maximum of 1.7m given for P.palpebrosus here, as it comes from a time before larger individuals were discovered (in the last decade), this is interesting stuff. Trigonatus appears to be less gregarious in the form of juvenile creches then Palpebrosus.

Addressing the size of Palpebrosus

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*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Very cool to see larger animals coming from the Pantanal. Reply