Yacare caiman: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the yacare caiman lives – recorded in 4 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Caiman yacare
Group	Crocodiles & alligators
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	4 countries
Continents	South America
Class	Reptile
Order	Crocodilia
Family	Alligatoridae

Where does the yacare caiman live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the yacare caiman in 4 countries and territories across 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.

Is the yacare caiman endangered?

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

What kind of animal is the yacare caiman?

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

About the yacare caiman

The yacare caiman (Caiman yacare), also known commonly as the jacare caiman, Paraguayan caiman, piranha caiman, red caiman, and southern spectacled caiman, is a species of caiman, a crocodilian in the family Alligatoridae. The species is indigenous to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Brown in color and covered with dark blotches, males grow to a total length (including tail) of 2–3 m (6 ft 7 in – 9 ft 10 in) and weigh around 40–50 kg (88–110 lb); while females grow to 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) long and about 15–20 kg (33–44 lb). Typical habitats of this caiman include lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Its diet primarily consists of aquatic animals, such as snails, and occasionally land vertebrates. Mating occurs in the rainy season and eggs hatch in March, with young fending for themselves as soon as they hatch. The yacare caiman was hunted heavily for its skin to use for leather in the 1980s, which caused its population to decrease significantly. However, trading restrictions placed since have caused its population to increase. Its population in the Pantanal is about 10 million, and it is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Yacare caiman (revision 1354640902), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q756678 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).