Caiman lizard

Physical features

• Caiman lizards have reddish-orange heads and green bodies.

• The males are slightly more colorful and have broader heads than the females.

• Caiman lizards can range from 2 to 4 feet long (60 to 130 centimeters) and weigh up to 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms).

• The dorsal scales of a caiman lizard are enlarged and closely resemble crocodile scutes (osteoderms), the large bony plates on a crocodile’s back. This is how the lizard got its name. Caiman is Spanish for crocodile and is also the name of a group of crocodilians native to Central and South America.

• They use their strong muscular jaws and modified short, rounded molar teeth to crack the shell of snails, clams and crabs.

• After catching their prey, caiman lizards raise their heads to move the animal to the back of their mouths. They then use their molars to crush any shell and extract the meat. Last, they spit out any broken shell pieces.

• The tail of a caiman lizard is flat and long, which helps them swim and defend themselves.

• They have a clear third eyelid that protects their eyes while enabling them to see underwater.

Diet: Carnivore

• Wild – Snails, insects, fish, rodents, amphibians, crayfish, freshwater clams 

• Zoo – Crayfish, fish, chicks, small rodents, carnivore diet

Reproduction

• After mating, females lay their eggs in a hole dug on a riverbank. They cover the hole up for protection and the eggs incubate there for about four months.

• Clutch size is usually around six to 10 eggs.

• Once the eggs hatch, there is no further parental care.

• Hatchlings look like tiny versions of adults.

Interpretive Information

• Caiman lizards are aquatic and terrestrial, but they spend most of their time in or near the water.

• The tail of the caiman lizard is long and flattened laterally, which makes these lizards proficient swimmers. They also use these long tails for self-defense.

• While swimming, the caiman lizard pulls its short limbs against its body and moves with lateral side-to-side movements of the body and tail.

• Caiman lizards are good climbers thanks to their strong limbs and sharp claws. They hide in trees or bushes at night and often spend time on branches overhanging bodies of water, which allows them to drop into the water if a predator is around.

• They use their bifurcated (forked) tongues to “smell” the scent particles of prey or a predator.

• Caiman lizards are carnivorous predators. Snails make up most of their diet, but they will also eat insects, crabs, fish, baby river turtles, rodents and amphibians.

• The status of the caiman lizard wild population is unknown. Researchers need to establish how many are in the wild and how human threats are affecting their population over time.

Updated April 2024