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Caiman
A caiman ( (also spelled cayman) from Taíno language, Taíno ''kaiman'') is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family (biology), family, the other being alligators. Caimans are native to Central America, Central and South America and inhabit marsh, marshes, swamps, lakes, and mangrove rivers. They have scaly skin and live a fairly nocturnal existence. They are relatively small-sized crocodilians with an average maximum weight of depending on species, with the exception of the black caiman (''Melanosuchus niger''), which can grow more than in length and weigh in excess of 450 kg (1,000 Ib). The black caiman is the largest caiman species in the world and is found in the slow-moving rivers and lakes that surround the Amazon basin. The smallest species is the Cuvier's dwarf caiman (''Paleosuchus palpebrosus''), which grows to long. There are six different species of caiman found throughout the wate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caiman (genus)
''Caiman'' is a genus of caimans within the alligatorid subfamily (biology), subfamily Caimaninae. They inhabit Central America, Central and South America. They are relatively small sized crocodilians, with all species reaching lengths of only a couple of meters and weighing on average. Classification The genus ''Caiman'' contains three extant taxon, extant (living) species: the Broad-snouted caiman ("Caiman latirostris"), the Spectacled caiman (''Caiman crocodilus''), and the Yacare caiman (''Caiman yacare''). There are also several extinct fossil species in the genus - possibly up to eight species. The genus ''Caiman'' belongs to the caiman subfamily Caimaninae, and the relationships of the living species of caimans can be shown in the cladogram below, based on molecular DNA-based phylogenetic studies: The below detailed cladogram of Caimaninae includes extinct fossil species, based on morphology (biology), morphological analysis: Characteristics Caimans are similar to all ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 endemic to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Brown in color and covered with dark blotches, males grow to a total length (including tail) of and weigh around ; while females grow to long and about . 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paranasuchus
''Paranasuchus'' is an extinct genus of large caiman from the Late Miocene Ituzaingó Formation of Argentina. The type species was originally described as a new species of ''Caiman'', ''C. gasparinae'', in 2013, but a study from 2024 concluded that it differed significantly enough to represent its own genus. ''Paranasuchus'' was a large caiman with a broad skull and was only one of several generalized caimans that inhabited Paraná during the Late Miocene. History and naming The holotype of ''Paranasuchus'' consists of a partial snout (including a premaxilla, maxilla an other adjacent bones) as well as an associated skull table from Argentinas Ituzaingó Formation. Though the material had been considered to be referrable to the extant broad-snouted caiman in an unpublished doctoral thesis by Zulma Brandoni de Gasparini, a much later study from 2013 highlighted that this assumption was seemingly proposed without any actual justification or evidence. The study by Paula Bona & Ari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paranacaiman
''Paranacaiman'' is an extinct genus of large caiman from the Late Miocene Ituzaingó Formation of Argentina. The holotype, a skull table, was part of the hypodigm for "Caiman lutescens", which was later found to be a nomen dubium. Since a lectotype had been erected for "C. lutescens", the skull table was not name-bearing and was thus used to erect ''Paranacaiman''. The genus is monotypic, meaning it only contains a single species: ''Paranacaiman bravardi''. History and naming The type specimen of ''Paranacaiman'' is the isolated skull table designated MACN-Pv 13551, which has historically been tied to the now dubious taxon "Caiman lutescens". "Caiman lutescens" was described in 1912 by Italian paleontologist Gaetano Rovereto as "Alligator lutescens" on the basis of various fragmentary skull and postcranial remains found within the layers of the Ituzaingó Formation in Argentina. However, Rovereto did not designate a holotype specimen among his finds, rendering the entire col ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacarea
Jacarea is a clade of caimans within the subfamily Caimaninae. Jacarea was first named by Norell in 1988 to include the extant species within the genera ''Caiman'' and ''Melanosuchus'', while excluding the dwarf caiman genus '' Paleosuchus''. In 1999, Brochu formally cladistically defined Jacarea as the last common ancestor of ''Caiman latirosris'' ( Broad-snouted caiman), ''Caiman crocodilus'' ( Spectacled caiman), ''Caiman yacare'' ( Yacare caiman), ''Melanosuchus niger'' (Black caiman), and all its descendants. Molecular DNA phylogenetic studies recover '' Paleosuchus'' as outside of Jacarea, although morphological studies are inconsistent. The cladogram A cladogram (from Greek language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ... below shows the results of the strict consensus phylogenetic analysis of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Globidentosuchus
''Globidentosuchus'' is an extinct genus of basal caimanine crocodylian known from the late Middle to Late Miocene of the Middle and the Upper Members of the Urumaco Formation at Urumaco, Venezuela. Its skull was very short and robust, with large units of spherical teeth used to break the shells of molluscs as part of its durophagus diet. It is thought to be one of the most basal Caimanines, even sharing some traits with alligatorids. Etymology The generic name ''Globidentosuchus'' is derived from the Latin roots ''globus'' meaning "sphere" and ''dens'' meaning "tooth", referring to the spherical teeth in the posterior skull, and Greek ''souchos'' meaning "crocodile" after its classification. The species name ''brachyrostris'' is derived from the Greek ''brachys'' meaning "short" and Latin ''rostrum'' meaning "snout" after the truncated and robust rostrum of the species. History and taxonomy ''Globidentosuchus'' was described in 2013 by T. M. Scheyer and colleagues, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mourasuchus
''Mourasuchus'' is an extinct genus of giant, aberrant caiman from the Miocene of South America. Its skull has been described as duck-like, being broad, flat, and very elongate, superficially resembling '' Stomatosuchus'' from the Late Cretaceous. History of discovery ''Mourasuchus'' was first described by Price in 1964 based on a strange and nearly complete skull from the Solimões Formation of Amazonian Brazil, calling it ''Mourasuchus amazoniensis''. Unaware of Price's discovery, Langston described ''"Nettosuchus" atopus'' ("Absurd Duck Crocodile") only a year later based on fragmentary cranial, mandibular and postcranial remains from the middle Miocene La Venta Lagerstätte, a part of the Honda Group. Although he did recognize its similarities to caimans and alligators, Langston reasoned that its bizarre anatomy warranted its own monotypic family, naming it Nettosuchidae.Langston, W. (1965). ''Fossil crocodilians from Colombia and the Cenozoic history of the Crocodilia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Necrosuchus
''Necrosuchus'' is an extinct genus of caiman from modern day Argentina that lived during the Paleocene epoch (Danian or possibly Selandian age, about 60 million years ago). It inhabited the marine or fluvio-lacustrine environment of the Patagonian Salamanca Formation. History and naming The fossil remains of ''Necrosuchus'' were unearthed on April 3, 1931 during the First Scarritt Expedition in the Argentinian Salamanca Formation and presented to American paleontologist Charles C. Mook. Mook however, busy with other research, was unable to describe the specimen himself. As an initial description was deemed vital to the works of several student researches at the time, Mook handed the specimen back to George G. Simpson for study. He eventually published his preliminary description in 1937, writing that his research "only carries this study as far as necessary" in the hopes of a more detailed description being later published by Mook himself. However this would not come to be and t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melanosuchus
''Melanosuchus'', from Ancient Greek μέλας (''mélas''), meaning "black", and σούχος (''soúkhos''), meaning "crocodile", is a genus of caiman. The genus is most commonly referred to as the "Black Caimans". The black caiman of South America is the sole extant taxon, extant (living) species, and is the largest living member of the subfamily Caimaninae, as well as the entire alligator family (biology), family Alligatoridae. Taxonomy There are two known valid species of ''Melanosuchus'', one extant and one extinct: *''Melanosuchus niger'' (Johann Baptist von Spix, Spix, 1825) – known as the Black caiman, native to the Amazon basin of South America *''Melanosuchus latrubessei'' Souza-Filho et al, 2020 – discovered in the Solimões Formation of Brazil, dating from the Upper Miocene ''Melanosuchus fisheri'', named by Medina in 1976, from the Late Miocene Urumaco Formation of Venezuela is sometimes considered as a ''nomen dubium'', and possibly synonymous with ''Melanosuc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stangerochampsa
''Stangerochampsa'' is an extinct genus of alligatorid, possibly an alligatorine or a stem-caiman, from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta. It is based on RTMP.86.61.1, a skull, partial lower jaws, and partial postcranial skeleton discovered in the late Campanian– early Maastrichtian-age Horseshoe Canyon Formation. ''Stangerochampsa'' was described in 1996 by Wu and colleagues. The type species is ''S. mccabei''. The generic name honors the Stanger family, the owners of the ranch where the specimen was found, and the species name honors James Ross McCabe, who discovered, collected, and prepared it. ''Stangerochampsa'' is described as "small to medium–sized"; the type skull is long from the tip of the snout to the occipital condyle, and is wide at its greatest, while the thigh bone is long. It had heterodont dentition, with large crushing teeth at the rear of the jaws. Classification Wu and colleagues, using phylogenetic analyses, found their new genus to be closest to ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acresuchus
''Acresuchus'' ("Acre crocodile") is an extinct monospecific genus of medium-sized caiman from the Late Miocene of western Brazil and Venezuela. The genus contains a single species, ''Acresuchus pachytemporalis''. ''Acresuchus'' is a close relative of the giant caiman ''Purussaurus.'' Description The hypodigm of ''Acresuchus'' consists of the holotype, UFAC-2507, a nearly complete skull, and several referred specimens, most found in Niteroi, located in the Solimões Formation in Acre. ''Acresuchus'' takes its name from the state it was found in (Acre), while the species name ''pachytemporalis'' refers to the extreme thickening of the squamosal bones in the holotype. Another specimen, MCNUSB-PB-02FU-RS43, a skull fragment, was found in the middle member of the Urumaco Formation in Venezuela. According to the describing authors, ''Acresuchus'' is a "caimanine with a medium-sized body, teeth with smooth (non-serrated) carinae, orbits large in comparison with other caimanines, h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsoabichi
''Tsoabichi'' (from Shoshoni language, Shoshone "''tso’abichi’''", meaning "monster") is an extinct genus of caimanine crocodylian. Fossils are known from the Green River Formation in Wyoming, and date back to the Ypresian stage of the Eocene (Wasatchian stage of North American land mammal age, North American age). The genus was named and scientifically described, described in 2010 by paleontologist Christopher A. Brochu, with the type species being ''Tsoabichi greenriverensis''. According to the current understanding of caiman evolutionary relationships, ''Tsoabichi'' is a Basal (phylogenetics), basal member of Caimaninae and may have evolved after caimans dispersed into North America from northern and central South America, their main center of diversity in the Cenozoic. Description Some living caimans such as the Spectacled Caiman have a "spectacle", or a bony ridge between the eyes. ''Tsoabichi'' lacks a spectacle, but it does have three smaller ridges between the orbit (a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
