Reptiles
Yacare Caiman
Caiman yacare · also called jacare caiman
In the dry season in the Pantanal, hundreds of yacare caimans lie packed together in a shrinking pool, jaws open to the sun as the fish concentrate around them.
Overview
The yacare caiman, Caiman yacare, is a Least Concern crocodilian of seasonal wetlands, rivers, and lagoons in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina, with its stronghold in the Pantanal. Its sheer numbers and its role in the wetland food web make it one of the most important predators of South America’s great marshes.
A caiman that feeds the wetland
Yacare caimans eat fish in huge numbers, and their dry-season gatherings attract storks, herons, and jaguars to feed around them.
Status
Least Concern, abundant and recovered.
Yacare Caiman: common questions
How many yacare caimans are there?
Millions live in the Pantanal, where the species has recovered strongly after heavy hunting in the twentieth century.
What do yacare caimans eat?
They feed mostly on fish, including piranha, as well as snails, crustaceans, frogs, and the occasional bird or small mammal.
Why do they gather in dry-season pools?
As the wetland dries out, large groups pack into the shrinking pools that remain, living alongside fish and wading birds.
Where is the yacare caiman found?
It lives in seasonal wetlands, rivers, and lagoons in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina, with the Pantanal as its stronghold.