Range: South America

Habitat: Slow-moving rivers; backwaters of rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps

Size: Medium sized crocodilians (6.5 to 10 feet) with brownish mottling on a yellowish background fading to cream color along the underside. 

Status: Declining

Rain Forest Facts: Broad-nosed caiman are found in the sluggish streams and muddy bayous of south-east Brazil, reaching inland to Paraguay and Argentina.

In the wild, these carnivores eat a very generalized diet that includes snails, turtles, aquatic insects and their larvae, crustaceans, amphibians, and small fish, including piranhas.

Broad-nosed caiman are endangered. Beginning in the middle of the century, commercial hunting took a significant toll on this species. The skin was prized because it is more suitable for tanning than the skin of other crocodilians.

Today, although protected, illegal hunting still persists. Equally dangerous to the species is the on-going threat of habitat destruction.  Deforestation and water pollution are major problems in most areas of their range.   In evolutionary terms, this species has been highly successful, first appearing in the fossil record more than 54 million years ago.