• size- The average length for most of the caiman species is about 6.6 – 8 ft (2 – 2.5 m) 

• weight- maximum weight of 6 to 40 kg (13 to 88 lb) 

• life span- 13-80 yrs 

• differences between males and females- Brown in color and covered with dark blotches, males grow to a total length (including tail) of 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) and weigh around 40–50 kg (88–110 lb); while females grow to 1.4 m (4.6 ft) long and about 15–20 kg (33–44 lb). Typical habitats of this caiman include lakes, rivers, and wetlands.

Caiman are aquatic reptiles that live in rivers, marshes, swamps, lakes, and mangroves. They usually prefer still or slowly-moving freshwater habitats, but some species will tolerate faster, brackish. or even saltwater habitats. 

• • What exactly does it eat?-Caiman lizards spend most of their time in or near water. In the wild, their primary diet is apple snails. They’ll also eat fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and other mollusks .

  • How often does it eat?- As a general rule of thumb, caiman lizards need about 1-2% of their body weight in food each day. So, for a 10-pound lizard, that would be about 100-200 grams of food per day. This food can be given in one large meal or split up into smaller meals throughout the day. 

  • How does it get it’s food?- Once a prey item is caught, the lizard raises its head, moving the meal into position at the back of its powerful jaws. Then, it crushes the animal with its strong back teeth, spits out the broken shell and consumes the softer part of its prey. 

Habits and Lifestyle Spectacled caimans live together in loose-knit groups but prefer to be solitary except in the mating season. They are nocturnal and usually hunt at night, being immobile most of the day and staying submerged.

• • How often do they mate? Often many females next close together, so large numbers of hatchlings emerge at the same time at the start of the wet season, thus gaining safety in numbers. A mother will try to care for her young for a few months but they are largely independent. Most do not make it to adulthood. Female Black caimans breed only once in 2 to 3 years.

  • Time of year for mating? The female caiman are ready to begin breeding when they reach roughly three and a half feet in size and are somewhere between four and seven years of age; the males mature when about four feet in length and about the same chronological age. The breeding season is begin at the start of the wet season, May to June and lasts until August.

  • Mating rituals-Male caimans have been filmed singing to their prospective lovers 

  • Number of offspring produces at a time- A nest can contain up to 65 eggs! 

• • Stages of development-Reproduction, Incubation and hatching, Parental care, longevity, mortality and health

  • How old before sexual maturity?  5-15 years 

  • Activities and environment of stages- As juveniles, the various caiman species feed on crustaceans, insects, small fish, amphibians, small mammals, and birds. As adults, they feed on fish, birds, other reptiles, amphibians, and various mammalian species. 

  • Difference between males and females?  The spectacled caiman is on the small to medium size. Adult females generally grow to about 4 feet (1.22 m) in length while adult males grow, on average, to 5 or 6 feet (1.5 or 1.8) in length. There have been reports of larger males measuring up to 8.7 feet (2.64 m) 

• • Predation

  • Sexual Competition

  • Disease

  • Other causes

• • Inter-species – within the species

  • Intra-species – with other species

  • What do they compete over

  • Affect of invasive species

• • What is the rating?  we dont know much about this species

  • Population-We dont knowmuch about this species

  • Population Trend- we dont know much about this species

• • What impacts have occurred

  • Potential Future impacts

  • How long have humans been interacting with species

  • Efforts being made to minimize impacts