The New Neotropical Companion

number of extant species in the family Crocodylidae

is unclear, though the most commonly cited figures

are 22 or 23. Eleven species occur in the Neotropics.

The majority of the world’s crocodilian species are

threatened or endangered, including some from the

Neotropics, and are on the CITES list.

Crocodilians eat fish and other water- dwelling animals,

including capybaras, snakes, and birds. They typically

are most active at night, spending the day basking, easy

to see, especially in the Llanos and Pantanal, where they

are abundant. A handheld flashlight during a nighttime

boat trip should reveal the red eyeshine of caimans

and crocodiles as they search for a meal. Crocodilians

perform an aquatic mating ritual, after which females

build a nest mound and lay up to 60 eggs, depending

on species. Parent animals, especially the female, aid the

newly hatched young in moving from the nest to the

water and remain with them for some weeks. Juveniles

have many predators, including storks, egrets, raccoons,

and anacondas. Adults have fewer predators, but have

been severely overhunted by people.

Two subfamilies of crocodilians inhabit the Neotropics,

the true crocodiles (Crocodylinae; plate 12- 23) and the

alligators and caimans (Alligatorinae; plate 12- 24). They

are similar in appearance and behavior, but crocodiles

have more sharply pointed snouts than alligators and

caimans, and the upper fourth tooth is visible on the

outside when the jaws are closed. Alligators and caimans

have rather blunt and rounded snouts and do not show

the upper fourth tooth when the jaws are shut.

The crocodile subfamily includes the Old World

Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) and the large and

Plate 12- 21. Though not the longest of the anacondas, the Yellow Anaconda is thought by most observers to be the most

beautiful of these remarkable serpents. Photo by Andrew Whittaker.

Plate 12- 22. Caimans do not exhibit complex social behavior, but they do not seem to mind one another’s company when

lounging on a riverbank. Photo by John Kricher.

chapter 12 cruising the rivers to the sea 217