Cuvier's dwarf caiman

Cuvier's dwarf caiman
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Crocodilia
Family:	Alligatoridae
Genus:	Paleosuchus
Species:	P. palpebrosus
Binomial name
Paleosuchus palpebrosus (Cuvier, 1807)

The Cuvier's dwarf caiman or Musky caiman, Paleosuchus palpebrosus, is a relatively small crocodilian reptile from northern and central South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela. It lives primarily near fast stretches of stream, but also in nutrient-deficient waters.

With a total length of up to 1.6 m (5.2 ft) in males and typically up to 1.2m (4 ft) in females, it is the smallest extant species of crocodilian.^[1] Juvenile dwarf caimans eat invertebrates, while adult caimans eat both fish and invertebrates. It uses burrows as shelter during the day, and lays eggs on a mounded nest which hatch in about three months.

References

1. ^ CROCODILIANS Natural History & Conservation. Paleosuchus palpebrosus. Accessed 27-01-2009.

External links

Media related to Paleosuchus palpebrosus at Wikimedia Commons

• Cuvier's dwarf caiman at the Encyclopedia of Life