It is a gloomy night. There is a dark shadow gliding through the water.
Its shining eyes are focused on a wild pig taking a drink from the river,
and in the light of the moon, it makes a sharp, decisive snap.
Hello! You have just witnessed the hunting process of the black caiman.
It is one of the largest crocodilian species in South America's Amazon jungle,
and it is also one of the deadliest.
Would you like to learn more about this savage, stealthy species?
Here are just a few black caiman facts to get to know them better.
Size
The black caiman is the largest caiman species in the world,
the black caiman is also one of the largest extant reptiles.
It is the largest predator in the Amazon basin
and possibly the largest member of the family Alligatoridae.
Mature females are around 2.5–3.4 m long and weigh 95–100 kg (209–220 lb).
Mid-sized mature males are 3.5–4 m and weigh approximately 300 kg (660 lb),
while larger specimens exceed 400 to 500 kg (880 to 1,100 lb).
How do black caimans keep warm/cool?
Black caimans spend a lot of time in the water,
so keeping cool isn't as much of an issue as keeping warm.
Their black scales are thought to help with heat absorption as much as camouflage
when they're in dark water,
and they have been observed sunbathing with their mouths wide open to soak up the warmth.
This is called thermoregulation, and it's common in all crocodilian species,
including the black caiman.
Are black caiman aggressive?
While not the most hostile member of their family,
black caimans aren't to be trifled with, especially during mating season.
They can get quite territorial over their mates, nests and eggs.
They also lack the fear instincts that inhibit prey species,
so when they see something that they want, they take it.
What eats a black caiman?
Many predators, including various fish, mammal, reptile and even amphibian species,
feed on caiman eggs and hatchlings.
Many of them won't survive to adulthood – just 1 in 10 will survive their first year.
The black caiman shares its habitat
with at least 3 other semi-amphibious animals considered apex predators
and is usually able to co-exist with them by focusing on different prey and micro-habitats.
These are giant otters which are social and are obligate aquatic foragers and piscivorans,
green anacondas
which are slow, infrequent feeders mostly on medium-sized mammals and reptiles,
and jaguars,
which are the most terrestrial of these
and focus their diet mainly on relatively larger mammals and reptiles.
Black caimans eat more or less all the same prey as the other species.
They are possibly the most opportunistic but,
despite being the largest predator of the area,
can metabolically live off of their food longer and thus may not need to hunt as frequently.
Usually, each predator avoids encounters with adults of the others but battles,
which can be lost by nearly any side, may rarely occur.
More so than even otters and anaconda,
jaguars and black caiman arguably sit atop this food chain.
Once the black caiman attains a length of a few feet, it has few natural predators.
Large anacondas may take an occasional young caiman of this species.
Many giant otters can unite to kill a black caiman that is not too big.
The jaguar, being a known predator of all other caiman species,
is the only primary predatory threat to black caimans,
with several records of predation on young black caimans and eggs
and a single reported instance of an adult male black caiman, measuring 3.8 m (12 ft),
having fallen prey to a large jaguar.
However, very large black caimans, 4.3 m (14 ft) or more in length,
have no natural predators due to their size, weight,
thick hide and immense strength and may prey upon jaguars.
What do black caimans eat?
Black caimans will eat anything that's unfortunate enough to cross their path.
They have a remarkably varied diet
that includes monkeys, boars, birds, otters, armadillos, horses, deer,
cattle and all kinds of fish and vermin.
Whether it comes to them by air, land or sea, they'll take it down without hesitation.
They will even go after animals that are predators in their own right.
Young black caimans will feast on piranhas;
older black caimans will gorge themselves on pythons.
Some black caimans have been known to cannibalize members of their own species.
Amazon river dolphins have been found with scars that suggest black caiman attacks.
These are hungry animals with absolutely no fear of anything else in the wild,
and their diet proves it.
Do black caimans eat their young?
It depends. Mothers won't eat their own children,
so don't believe any reports to the contrary.
People used to jump to conclusions when they saw female black caimans
closing their jaws over their hatchlings,
but it's understood now that moms are simply carrying their babies in their mouths to newer,
safer locations.
The hatchlings aren't harmed by it.
Other black caimans might eat a baby, however.
They don't mind a little cannibalism,
and weak hatchlings and fledglings can't defend themselves against bigger
and stronger predators. They're easy pickings.
Can black caimans co-exist with other species?
Yes. Black caimans occupy the same regions as jaguars,
anacondas and giant otters,
and for the most part, they leave each other alone.
This isn't a guaranteed thing, and as I've previously outlined, conflicts can and do happen.
For the most part, however,
the apex predators of the Amazon basin do their own thing without bothering each other.
Do black caimans make noise?
Black caimans aren't particularly vocal,
but younger ones might call their mothers with tinny “umph umph umph” sounds.
Interestingly, caimans and crocodiles make the same noises
even though caimans are genetically closer to alligators than crocodiles.
These two species were even able to recognize each other's noises in a scientific study.
It's said that they share a “language” or “acoustic code”
even though they're genetically different.
Do black caimans have red eyes?
It's true that many black caimans have red-rimmed eyes.
The Amazon is full of blood flies
that will feed on vulnerable eye tissue and make it irritated and inflamed.
However, you shouldn't believe tales about “the caiman's blood-red eyes”
or “the sinister red gaze of the black caiman.”
They aren't that red. People just like to tell scary stories about red-eyed,
black-scaled alligators.
How strong is a black caiman bite?
Their jaws are pretty strong
They can kill giant river turtles by shattering their hard shells with a single bite.
Where do black caiman's nest?
When it is time to breed, the female black caiman will build an egg chamber out of dirt,
soil, sand or vegetation.
She'll use her hind legs to create a mound of earth
that's protected on all sides from both predators and the elements.
and the elements.The nest has to be big enough to house 30 – 60 eggs at once,
so it's usually around 2 – 5 feet across. It's quite the sight when it is finished.
They love to be warm
Black caimans keep warm by basking in the sun
and letting their dark scales soak up the sun.
They will even stand with their mouths wide open as if saying “Ahhh… it feels so good!”
The dark water they swim in also helps them to soak up as much sun as possible.
Their prey doesn’t see them coming
The black caiman is largely nocturnal and hunts at night.
Because of the dark scales, dark water, and dark woods,
it is incredibly difficult to spot this animal at night.
By the time the prey sees the gleam of their highly specialized eyes, it’s too late.
They once faced extinction
Though they are classified as “Lower Risk/Conservation Dependent” now,
it wasn’t always that way.
Black caimans used to be hunted and killed for their scales, which were used in fashion.
Up to 99% of black caimans were killed.
Caiman has an excellent sense of hearing and eyesight.
Caimans are well adapted to life in water.
They can swim at a speed of 30 miles per hour.
Caimans are solitary creatures that gather only during the mating season.
Caimans mate at the end of the dry season when food is abundant
large numbers of fish end up trapped in shallow pools of water
Easy meals ensure energy required for development of eggs.
Caiman has narrow snout (that is wide at the base) and bony ridges above its large eyes.
Long and flattened tail is used both for swimming and for protection against predators.
Caiman has strong molar teeth which are designed for crushing the food.
Caimans play an important role in their native habitats,
as they keep numbers of their prey under control.
Reduction of caimans in the wild meant an increase in the number of
piranhas (which attack cattle)
and capybaras (which destroy crops).
Black caimans are likely to make homes in a wide variety of freshwater habitats
including streams, oxbow lakes, slow-moving rivers, flooded savanna, and wetlands.
Black caiman has a slender skull in comparison to other caiman species.
Young black caiman can be distinguished from large spectacled caimans
by their proportionately larger head, as well as by the colour of the jaw.
Many females often nest within close proximity,
the number of hatchlings in one area can be high.
Their eyes and noses are located on the tops of their heads.
This enables them to see and breathe while the rest of their bodies are underwater.
That's the end of my clip.
Thanks for watching, see you again.