Caiman (Paleosuchus, Melanosuchus, Caiman)

[Paleosuchus]

Nest attendance influences the diet of nesting female spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) in Central Amazonia, Brazil
Abstract
Although nesting ecology is well studied in crocodilians, there is little information on the diet and feeding habits of nesting
females. During the annual dry season (November–December) of 2012, we studied the diet of female spectacled caiman
(Caiman crocodilus) attending nests (n=33) and far from nests (n=16) in Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve (PPSDR),
Central Amazonia, Brazil. The proportion of empty stomachs in nest-attending females was larger, and the occurrence
of fresh food items was lower when compared to females not attending nests. Fish was the most frequent prey item for
non-nesting females, while terrestrial invertebrates and snail operculae were the prey items most commonly recovered from
stomachs of nesting females. Our study demonstrates that, despite enduring periods of food deprivation associated with
nest attendance, nesting females of C. crocodilus still consume nearby available prey, possibly leaving their nest temporarily
unattended.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Fig.2. Incidence of empty stomachs (A) and fresh food
items (B) in Caiman crocodilus nesting (n=33) and nonnesting
females (n=16) in PP-SDR. 

"Total mass of stomach contents in nesting and nonnesting
females was 208 g (mean=8.5±11.6) and 207 g
(mean=13.3±11.4), respectively. Plant material occurred
in stomach contents of 62% of nesting females and 72%
of non-nesting females, representing about 27% and 2%
of the total mass, respectively. About 24% of stomachs of
nesting females were empty (Fig. 2A), while stomachs of
all non-nesting females contained at least one food item
(U=234.0; p<0.05). The number of food items in nesting
females ranged between 1 and 8 (mean=3.2±1.9), and
was significantly less (U=112.5; p<0.02) than the number
encountered in non-nesting females (ranging between 1
and 26 (mean=7.9±7.5).
Recently ingested food items were found in only 39%
of stomach contents of nesting females (Fig. 2A), whereas
all non-nesting females had recently ingested prey items
in their stomachs (U=84; p<0.05). A total of 206 prey
items were identified, 70% of which were terrestrial
invertebrates, 15% were fish, 8% were molluscs, 5% were
aquatic invertebrates and 2% were other vertebrates
(Table 1). 

Table 1.  Occurrence (O), percent occurrence (%O), frequency (N) and relative frequency (%N) of prey items found in
stomach contents of nesting and non-nesting females of Caiman crocodilus in PP-SDR. Prey items grouped into five
prey categories: Terrestrial Invertebrates (TI), Aquatic Invertebrates (AI), Molluscs, Fish or Other Vertebrates (OV).

*This image is copyright of its original author

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