Easily mistaken for a small crocodile, this extremely adaptable species occurs in virtually all natural open habitats such as savannas, swamps, large rivers and lakes and readily invades open habitats created by humans such as cattle ponds, dams and roadside burrow pits.

Caiman closely resemble Alligators except for the bony scales on their belly. All Caiman are found in the American Tropics. The largest is the Black Caiman of the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers which may exceed 15 feet and the smallest are the Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman which only reach 5 feet.

Elvis, our Common Caiman is over 10 years old and 7 feet long!

Caiman - Living Dinosaurs

Crocodilians are living dinosaurs, there are fossil records showing early crocodilians walked the earth some 80 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. The first human fossils relate back to only 5 million years ago. Crocodiles can live to 75 years in captivity not dissimilar from ourselves.

Caiman and Humans

Common Caiman are also a very adaptable species, which has helped them prevail despite the intense hunting over the decades.

They have been found in all natural habitats even ones created by man so they have not been affected as some of the larger species from habitat destruction.

They also reach sexual maturity in as little as 3 years at 3-5 feet whereas the larger species typically take 8-15 years and reach sizes of 5.9 – 8.8 feet before they can reproduce. The hunters typically attack larger specimens, as they will yield a larger hide, so the Common Caiman population has a chance to maintain their numbers in the wild.

Nile crocodiles can be found throughout the African Continent from freshwater habitats through to costal areas of West Africa. In southern Africa one was sighted 7 miles off the Zululand Coast!(In South Africa just below Mozambique)

The Nile Crocodile can grow very large indeed and the largest known length is 18 feet and weigh as much as 1,000 kilograms ( 2,200 pounds), which was extrapolated from hunters and game records. Because of their size Nile Crocodiles are able to eat almost anything when they are fully grown. They have been known to kill and eat antelope, zebra, warthogs, large domestic animals and even humans.

Nile Crocodiles and People

The Nile Crocodile has the reputation of being the biggest killer of beast and human on the African Continent.

In comparison with other dangerous or predatory animals responsible for human fatalities- lions, leopards, buffalos, hippo’s, hyenas, rhino’s and elephants- the Nile crocodile is more widely spread and more abundant than all of the other species combined.

Millions of people live and work near these lakes, rivers and lagoons and often the only forms of transport are canoes, rafts or by foot through their habitat. Ignorance of the crocodiles habitat and hunting methods means basic precautions are not being observed resulting in needless fatalities.