Reptiles · Crocodilia · Alligatoridae

Dwarf Caiman

Paleosuchus palpebrosus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It is the smallest crocodilian in the world and carries the densest osteoderm armour of any, an evolutionary trade-off that offsets how vulnerable its small size would otherwise leave it.

Weight

5.4 kg – 37 kg

Size

1.2 m – 1.6 m

Lifespan

40 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestFreshwaterCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Reptile Rainforest Freshwater

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Fun facts

récordIt is the smallest living crocodilian in the world and favours the fast, well-oxygenated streams of Amazonian forest, unlike most of its relatives, which live in quieter water.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton with osteoderms (crocodilian reptile)
Habitat & environment: Flooded riparian forest, fast-flowing water and waterfalls of the Orinoco and Amazon basins
Birth weight: Exact weight at hatching not found as a precise figure
Size at birth: Precocial on hatching; growing 6-8 cm a year for its first 5 years
Sexual maturity: 8-10 years
Gestation / incubation: Exact duration not specified as a precise figure in the sources consulted
Litter / clutch size: No precise figure for fecundity in the sources consulted
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 60 years in captivity

Sources consulted: Critter Science; Animalia.bio; Animal Diversity Web; The Animal Facts; Wikipedia (Cuvier's dwarf caiman); About Animals; Fishipedia