Family Alligatoridae (Alligators and Caiman)

Alligator	Caiman

• Common Name: American Alligator.
• Distribution: SE United States.
• Size: Males 4-4.5m, Females <3m.
• Diet: Juveniles eat a wide range of invertebrates, mostly insects, small fish and frogs. Adults can eat almost anything they can catch including fish, turtles, mammals, reptiles and birds.
• Habitat: Freshwater swamps and marshes but can also tolerate rivers. Some saline tolerance and can be found in brackish mangrove swamps.
• Fossil Record: The Alligatoridae appears in the Upper Cretaceous while the genus Alligator first occurs in the Oligocene.

• Common Name: Chinese Alligator
• Distribution: Eastern China
• Size: maximum size of around 2m.
• Diet: Small invertebrates; snails, mussels and small fish.
• Habitat: Prefer slow moving streams and rivers.
• Fossil Record: The genus Alligator first occurs in the Oligocene.

• Common Name: Spectacled Caiman
• Distribution: Central and South America
• Size: Males 2-2.5m, females < 1.4m.
• Diet: Aquatic invertebrate while young. As they grow their diet includes birds, fish and various mammals (eg. wild pigs).
• Habitat: Very adaptable. Found in all low wetland and river habitats.
• Fossil Record: The genus Caiman first occurs in the Oligocene.

• Common Name: Broad-snouted Crocodile
• Distribution: South America
• Size: < 2m
• Diet: Specilise in eating aquatic snails, but will also eat small fish and amphibians. Larger crocodiles can take turtles.
• Habitat: Mainly mangroves, marshes and swamps (brackish or freshwater).
• Fossil Record: The genus Caiman first occurs in the Oligocene.

• Common Name: Black Caiman
• Distribution: South America
• Size: Can reach sizes upto 4m
• Diet: Eats fish and large Capybara rodents. Mostly active at night. Attacks on domesticated animals and humans have been reported.
• Habitat: Various freshwater habitats.
• Fossil Record: The genus Melanosuchus first occurs in the Pliocene.

• Common Name: Jacare Caiman
• Distribution: South America
• Size: 2.5 -3m
• Diet: mainly snails but also fish and snakes.
• Habitat: various wetlands similar to Caiman crocodilus. most southerly of all the Caimans.
• Fossil Record: The genus Caiman first occurs in the Oligocene.

• Common Name: Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman
• Distribution: South America
• Size: Males 1.5 or 1.6m, females < 1.2m
• Diet: Varies depending on habitat. Mainly aquatic invertebrates.
• Habitat: Freshwater forested riverine settings including rivers such as the Amazon and Orinoco.
• Fossil Record: The genus Paleosuchus first occurs in the Pliocene.

• Common Name: Schneider's Dwarf Caiman
• Distribution: South America
• Size: Males 1.7- 2.3m
• Diet: Changes with age like many crocodiles. Varies with habitat but includes aquatic, terrestrial vertebrate and invertebrates.
• Habitat: Freshwater riverine, principally shallower forest streams.
• Fossil Record: The genus Paleosuchus first occurs in the Pliocene.

• Modern forms