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Yacare caiman

(Caiman yacare)

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Description

The yacare caiman (Caiman yacare), also known commonly as the jacare caiman, Spanish yacaré, Paraguayan caiman, piranha caiman, red caiman, southern spectacled caiman, jacaré in Portuguese, and îakaré in Old Tupi, is a species of caiman, a crocodilian in the family Alligatoridae. The species is endemic 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 (6.6–9.8 ft) and females to 1.4 m (4.6 ft). 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. C. yacare is a medium-sized caiman, brown in color. Male specimens grow to 2–3 metres (6.6–9.8 ft) in total length (including tail) and 58 kilograms (128 lb) in weight. Females are much smaller, with an adult total length of 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) and weight of 14–23 kilograms (31–51 lb). The average snout–vent length (SVL) of hatchlings is 12.49 centimetres (4.92 in) for females and 12.84 centimetres (5.06 in) for males. National Geographic has described young individuals as "look(ing) like nothing more than tiny, windblown seeds floating amid the rushes at the edge of a lagoon in Brazil's remote interior." Based on a study of the growth of multiple specimens in the Pantanal from 1987 to 2013, both sexes are about 50 centimetres (20 in) SVL at age five. By age 15, they have mostly finished growth, with females being about 80 centimetres (31 in) SVL and males over 100 centimetres (39 in) SVL. The study also showed that individuals have significant variation in their growth rates. The range of the yacare caiman includes Argentina (north), Bolivia, Brazil (south), and Paraguay. It is one of three species of genus Caiman in South America, the others being the broad-snouted caiman (C. latirostris) and the spectacled caiman (C. crocodilus), with more easterly and northerly ranges, respectively. The yacare caiman is one of the most common species on its continent.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Reptilia
Order:Crocodylia
Family:Alligatoridae
Genus:Caiman
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