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Caiman (Paleosuchus, Melanosuchus, Caiman)
Caiman (Paleosuchus, Melanosuchus, Caiman)
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Caiman (Paleosuchus, Melanosuchus, Caiman)
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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  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Between the two, Trigonatus has a more elongated snout whilst Palpebrosus has more of a "bulldog" skull.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Live specimens Palpebrosus  *This image is copyright of its original author Trigonatus  *This image is copyright of its original author 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  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Here is some information from Fredrico Medem(1958) on the largest known individuals(at this time), behavior, and dietary habits  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author 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  *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 Very cool to see larger animals coming from the Pantanal.
In Paraguay, drought-stricken caimans agonize
 *This image is copyright of its original author "Dozens of caimans are on the verge of death because of a harsh drought that has hit a wide desert zone of Paraguay known as the Chaco Boreal. Owners of the area's San Jorge Hacienda have tried to rescue the adult and newborn yacare caimans by drilling 18 wells to collect water that is then transported to reservoirs normally used for cattle. During a recent visit, Associated Press journalists found two dead caimans in the area and several others agonizing in the mud. The yacare caiman is found in central South American, including the rivers of Paraguay. The caimans were seen about a few miles outside of Fortin General Diaz, a small community with army barracks near the Pilcomayo River, which is born in the Andean foothills in Bolivia and serves as a natural border between Argentina and Paraguay. The small fort for which the community is named for is about 310 miles west of the capital Asuncion and can only be reached by land by driving on an unpaved road. The waters from the Pilcomayo river stopped reaching this area after a massive flood earlier this year changed its course to Argentine territories. The entry point of the river into Paraguay remains blocked with sediment. "Everyone is demanding a final solution but there's no end in sight to this problem because the river goes where it wants to go," said Edwin Pauls, governor of the affected state of Boqueron. He added that wild animals such as capybaras, as well as the yacare caimans and other reptiles, continue to suffer during the drought. The government of Argentina's Formosa province has been working to unclog the mouth of the river, which only receives abundant water twice a year through the melting of ice from the Andes. Alcides Gonzalez, manager of a large farm in the area, said workers have relocated livestock to give the caimans a larger space to survive. Gonzalez said that some Mennonite communities living nearby have offered to donate food for the caimans." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3665270/PICTURED-In-Paraguay-drought-stricken-caimans-agonize.html Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3665270/PICTURED-In-Paraguay-drought-stricken-caimans-agonize.html#ixzz4VgTV2eed Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Diet, Gastric Parasitism, and Injuries of Caimans (Caiman,Melanosuchus, and Paleosuchus) in the Peruvian Amazon
Abstract Caimans (Crocodilia: Alligatoridae) are top-level predators in aquatic ecosystems of the Neotropics. This paper presents data on the diet of caimans from the Peruvian Amazon (principally Paleosuchus spp., but also Caiman crocodilus and Melanosuchus niger), including feeding observations and stomach content examinations. A total of 58 stomach content analyses and three in situ feeding observations were made, and incidence of gastric parasitism and external injury were also studied. Insects, crustaceans, and fish were the most frequently encountered prey in the gut of P. trigonatus, but reptiles, fish, crustaceans, and mammals composed the greatest proportion of the diet by stomach content dry mass. We report novel squamate and fish species in the diet of Amazonian caimans and overall dietary findings consistent with that of other caiman diet literature. Gastroliths were absent from C. crocodilus and M. niger, although 44% of P. trigonatus sampled contained gastroliths. Parasitic nematodes were recovered from just under half of sampled C. crocodilus and P. trigonatus and 71% of M. niger. Injury rates were low in M. niger and P. trigonatus (< 10% of individuals) while 35% of C. crocodilus were injured, most often through damage to the tail. These data on caiman diet, gut parasitism, and injury rates help provide a baseline for comparison between species and study populations.  *This image is copyright of its original author "Bodily injuries were observed in 35% Caiman crocodilus, 8% of Melanosuchus niger, and 10% of Paleosuchus trigonatus. There was no apparent sex bias in injury rates of any species (Table 4). Damage to and blunting of the tail were the most commonly observed injury in C. crocodilus and M. niger. None of the captured P. trigonatus exhibited tail injuries, although one male (SVL = 34.5 cm, TL = 67.2 cm, M = 0.9 kg) had severe damage to the left forelimb resulting in a partially amputated foot bearing a single intact phalange. Among all captured individuals, only a single live female C. crocodilus (SVL = 41.2 cm, TL = 81.1 cm, M = 2.2 kg) exhibited a bleeding puncture wound on the posterior of the skull, in addition to the recent loss of ~ 10 cm of distal tail length."  *This image is copyright of its original author Link to study 
It's very interesting that despite the dietary overlap only P. trigonatus has evolved to have some retention of gastroliths.
Reading over the in situ dietary observation, the gut washing procedure sounds stressful to say the least for the specimens. Hopefully the data nonetheless allows conservationists to have a guide in protecting these species' prey bases.
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 Link to study  (01-07-2017, 01:46 AM)Paleosuchus Wrote: 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.@Paleosuchus Very good information 
" Waiting Underwater
Sometimes, not knowing is the scariest part This caiman lays waiting underwater, no one the wiser, until he grabs your leg ". 
Credits: Madidi National Park, Bolivia
Black Caiman  *This image is copyright of its original author
posted by: Douglas Coutinho
Idiot steps and jumps over a Young Black Caiman in Amazon There are levels of stupidity that is unexplainable. He definitely wanted to be food for that Young Black Caiman.  (11-28-2019, 02:12 AM)Pckts Wrote:These kind of foolish acts might even start a certain retaliation from the local people against these large repitiles (but if they get in the water they would be screwed hahaha ) in case that Young Black Caiman killed that retarded, this is how it all starts, with idiots like this, acting like this towards such a formidable predator. The Black Caiman's population is protected and stable in Brazil unlike back in the 1950s to 1970s. But we never know right, people are very unpredictable.(11-28-2019, 02:10 AM)Dark Jaguar Wrote: posted by: Douglas Coutinho
credits: Photo Wildlife Tour
The Terror of the Amazon Rivers
credits: Carlos Costa
Not the type of visit you'd like to have in your flooded backyard. Large Black Caiman ( Jacaré Açú ) emerges in this guy's backyard during the flood season at the Guaporé River. Brazil. Scary sight to have in your backyard just a few meters away from your house . the guy recording is like ''hey mom,mom take a look at this mom, look at size of that thing mom''  . I think I would have the same reaction for sure if I see this massive creature in my backyard so close to me. He appears to be tearing a big snake apart (but I'm not sure if its really a snake, some say its something else, anyone have a suggestion on what he is eating ??)  *This image is copyright of its original author Eyes of Death. *This image is copyright of its original author
published by: https://midiaextra.com/2019/06/14/imagens-de-um-jacare-gigantesco-morto-as-margens-do-rio-jaru-polemiza-morte-natural-ou-foi-abatido/776/
Big Black Caiman found dead in Jaru River. Brazil. June 14th 2019 It is unclear when the record was made, but the propagation of the images occured on Thursday (13th), in the pics it appears a giant dead Black Caiman on the banks of the Jaru River and people standing beside it. The size of the animal is impressive, it is believed to be about 5 meters long and approximately 500 kg in weight. The Black Caiman's body was found on a property used by a city building materials company to extract sand. Some people reported that the reptile was well known in the region of line 608, near the Jaru River, where everyone called it the "Caiman of 08", the animal was often seen in that vicinity and there was a certain harmony between him and the people who attend the place. The images began to be shared with the information that the Caiman had died of natural causes, but soon the case took another version, in the photographs analysis, people said there were head injuries and blood trace in the animal's mouth, leading to believing that the reptile was shot dead. The delay in publishing the images was also attributed to a possible attempt to omit the environmental crime.  *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  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
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