Black caiman: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the black caiman lives – recorded in 6 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Melanosuchus niger
Group	Crocodiles & alligators
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	6 countries
Continents	South America
Class	Reptile
Order	Crocodilia
Family	Alligatoridae

Where does the black caiman live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the black caiman in 6 countries and territories across South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil, Santarém.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the black caiman endangered?

The black caiman’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the black caiman?

The black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) is a reptile in the order Crocodilia and the family Alligatoridae, genus Melanosuchus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the black caiman

The black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) is a crocodilian reptile endemic to South America. With a maximum length of around 5 to 6.5 m (16 to 21 ft) and a mass of over 450 kg (1,000 lb), it is the largest living species of the family Alligatoridae, and the third-largest crocodilian in the Neotropical realm. True to its common and scientific names, the black caiman has a dark greenish-black coloration as an adult. In some individuals, the pigmentation can appear almost jet-black. It has grey to brown banding on the lower jaw; juveniles have a more vibrant coloration compared to adults, with prominent white-pale yellow banding on the flanks that remains present well into adulthood (more than most other species). The banding on young helps with camouflage by breaking up their body outline, on land or in water, in an effort to avoid predation. The morphology is quite different from other caimans but the bony ridge that occurs in other caimans is present. The head is large and heavy, an advantage in catching larger prey. Like all crocodilians, caimans are long, squat creatures, with big jaws, long tails and short legs. They have thick, scaled skin, and their eyes and noses are located on the tops of their heads. This enables them to see and breathe while the rest of their body is underwater.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Black caiman (revision 1381070218), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q504483 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).