8743 x 2166 px | 74 x 18,3 cm | 29,1 x 7,2 inches | 300dpi
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The spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) is a crocodilian reptile found in much of Central and South America. It lives in a range of lowland wetland and riverine habitat types and can tolerate salt water as well as fresh; due in part to this adaptability it is the most common of all crocodilian species. Males of the species are generally between 2 and 2.5 meters, while females are smaller, usually around 1.4 meters. The species' common name comes from a bony ridge between the eyes, which gives the appearance of a pair of spectacles. This species has actually benefited from commercial utilisation and over-hunting of other species within its range (Crocodylus acutus, Crocodylus intermedius and Melanosuchus niger), taking over habitat from which it would otherwise have been out-competed by healthy populations. The skin of C. crocodilus is not ideally suited to tanning, as the ventral scales contain well-developed osteoderms. Only the lateral flanks provide skin of an acceptable quality for tanning. Hunting pressures remained relatively low, therefore, until populations of the sympatric crocodilian species became depleted in the 1950s, when hunting of C. crocodilus intensified. The numbers of caimans harvested since then has been huge, and they currently supply the vast majority of the hide market in America. Leather from this species is often passed off as Alligator mississippiensis or other species. Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Crocodilia Family: Alligatoridae Genus: Caiman Species: C. crocodilus Binomial name Caiman crocodilus
