Black caiman
Black Caiman ( Melanosuchus niger)
( Called Melanosuchus niger, also Black caiman) The black caiman is a representative of caimans ( Caimaninae ) within the family of alligators. It is the only member of the genus Melanosuchus.
Features
The Black Caiman can reach a maximum length of up to six meters and weigh up to 300 kg. He thus represents the largest representatives of crocodiles in South America dar. He is thus greater than any other predator on the continent. Great and so that old copies have become limited. Its morphology is similar to the black caiman the Mississippi alligator, although he is related less closely with this than with the other caimans. This is especially evident in the broad snout. The animals are dark and have a lighter head. This is gray in the pups and changed the course of life its color to a shade of brown. The body has throughout life to a drawing of bright dot lines that fade in old age but that do not disappear completely, as with other crocodiles.
Distribution and habitat
Black Caimans live mainly in the area of major rivers and lakes in the Amazon Basin. You are in the States Bolivia (eg Estacion del Biologico Beni ), Brazil (eg in Cabo Orange National Park in the state of Amapá and the National Park Anavilhanas in the state of Amazonas ), Ecuador (for example, in the Reserva de producción Faunística Cuyabeno ), Colombia (eg in Zancudo Cocha lake ) and Peru (for example, in the Manu National Park ) and in French Guiana (eg in the wetlands of the plain of the river Kaw ) and Guyana ( z. example, is home to the headwaters of the Essequibo ). In Suriname, he does not seem to occur.
In tropical South America, running or standing water such as rivers, lakes, oxbow lakes and seasonally flooded savannas and forests are inhabited by the Mohr caimans. In the time of the floods between May and July they are distributed over large areas. In the dry season, from September to December, the Black Caimans pull back due to falling water levels in permanent rivers and lakes.
Especially in open areas of Cayman is now very rarely to be found, as he was hunted very extensive. However, the hunt was profitable only to the large males that were selected for their particularly beautiful skins, which in contrast to other crocodiles do not contain small bones killed. The much smaller females draw, however, to lay their eggs in secluded areas back lakes. There they were hardly adjusted. Thus, stocks are able to recover again. The young animals therefore there are some areas on the flood plains, which form a connection from the lakes to the river.
Way of life
Black Caimans build mounds of earth and plant material, which resemble those of the crocodile caiman ( Caiman crocodylus ), but are much larger. About the age of reproduction or the size reproduction of unfit animals is not known.
Also about the diet of the animals, little is known. The young animals is thought to feed primarily on insects and snails, but hunt from a relatively small size also fish, birds and lizards. Full-grown caimans feed addition of mammals and by other caiman species. Like most other crocodiles is also the black caiman mainly nocturnal, although he is in the hunt mostly visually oriented. This is probably because that he often hunts capybaras, which float on the water surface in the water. With them he does not dive. This is also some anacondas undoing the large prey have eaten and are thus easy to spot on the water surface. Although due to its size quite possible attacks on humans or larger pets are rarely documented.
System
The black caiman is the sister species to the representatives of the genus Caiman caiman Real dar. As the sister group of these two taxa, the smooth front caiman of the genus Paleosuchus be considered. About the phylogeny, as with all caimans very little or nothing concrete known.