Spectacled caiman: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the spectacled caiman lives – recorded in 16 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Caiman crocodilus
Group	Crocodiles & alligators
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	16 countries
Continents	North America, South America
Diet (main food)	fish, snail
Class	Reptile
Order	Crocodilia
Family	Alligatoridae

Where does the spectacled caiman live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the spectacled caiman in 16 countries and territories across North America and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil.

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.

What does a spectacled caiman eat?

Wikidata lists the main food source of the spectacled caiman as: fish, snail.

Is the spectacled caiman endangered?

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

What kind of animal is the spectacled caiman?

The spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) is a reptile in the order Crocodilia and the family Alligatoridae, genus Caiman. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the spectacled caiman

The spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus), also known as the white caiman, common caiman, and speckled caiman, is a crocodilian in the family Alligatoridae. It is brownish-, greenish-, or yellowish-gray colored and has a spectacle-like ridge between its eyes, which is where its common name come from. It grows to a length of 1.4–2.5 m (4 ft 7 in – 8 ft 2 in) and a weight of 7–40 kg (15–88 lb), with males being both longer and heavier than females. Its diet varies seasonally, commonly consisting of crabs, fish, small mammals, amphibians and snails. Breeding occurs from May to August and 14–40 eggs are laid in July and August. This crocodilian has a large range and population; it is native to much of Latin America, and has been introduced to the United States, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Spectacled caiman (revision 1373345434), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q272582 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).