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| More Information on Alligators | EnchantedLearning.com Spectacled Caiman |
Animal Printouts Label Me! Printouts |
Anatomy: The largest Spectacled Caiman grows to be up to about 10 feet (6 m) long. It has a bony ridge around the eyes (that looks like a pair of eyeglasses) and a bony ridge above the eyes. The skin is armored. Juveniles are yellow with black markings; adults are dull olive green.
Diet and Teeth: Caimans hunt at night. The young eat insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and fish. Adults eat fish (including piranhas and catfish), birds, turtles, reptiles, and mammals (like wild pigs). Spectacled Caiman are sometimes cannibalistic. They have about 75 long, sharp, conical teeth, which are used for catching prey (but they do not tear it apart - they swallow their prey whole).
Reproduction: Females build a large soil-and-vegetation mound nest and lay 14 to 40 eggs in each clutch.
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