Spectacled Caiman
Caiman crocodilus
The smaller, more common relative of the crocodile. These adaptable reptiles, with their characteristic bony ridge between the eyes, are found in almost every body of water in Panama.
The spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) is, at a maximum length of 2.5 metres, clearly smaller than the American crocodile. Its name comes from the bony bridge between its eyes, which resembles a pair of glasses.
These adaptable reptiles live in almost every type of water, from large lakes to swamps, ditches and ponds. They feed on fish, crustaceans, snails and small vertebrates.
In Panama they are extremely common and found in practically every lowland body of water. From Gatún Lake to the wetlands of Bocas del Toro and the rice paddies of Chiriquí: where there's water, there are probably caimans.
- Kind
- reptile
- Season
- year_round
- Habitat
- Practically every lowland water type: lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds and ditches. Extremely adaptable.