Caiman
| Caimans Temporal range: Paleocene—Present,
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Yacare Caiman, Caiman yacare | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauromorpha |
| Clade: | Archosauriformes |
| Order: | Crocodilia |
| Family: | Alligatoridae |
| Subfamily: | Caimaninae Brochu, 1999 |
| Type species | |
| Caiman fissipes Spix, 1825
| |
Caimans are alligatorid crocodylians within the subfamily Caimaninae. The group is one of two subfamilies of the family Alligatoridae, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Central and South America. They are relatively small crocodilians, with most species reaching lengths of only a few metres, with the smallest being the Cuvier's dwarf caiman, which grows to 1 metre (3 feet) long and the largest being the black caiman, which can grow to 4 metres (13 ft) or more. Several extinct forms are known, including Purussaurus, a giant Miocene genus that grew to 12 metres (39 ft) and the equally large Mourasuchus, which had a wide duck-like snout.[1]
Taxonomy
- Subfamily Caimaninae
- Genus †Necrosuchus
- Genus †Eocaiman
- Genus Paleosuchus
- Paleosuchus palpebrosus, Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman
- Paleosuchus trigonatus, Smooth-fronted Caiman
- Genus †Purussaurus
- Genus †Mourasuchus
- Genus †Orthogenysuchus
- Genus †Tsoabichi
- Genus Caiman
- Caiman yacare, Yacare Caiman
- Caiman crocodilus, Spectacled Caiman
- Caiman caiman apaporiensis, Rio Apaporis Caiman
- Caiman caiman fuscus, Brown Caiman
- †Caiman lutescans
- †Caiman venezuelensis
- Caiman latirostris , Broad-snouted Caiman
- Genus Melanosuchus
- †Melanosuchus fisheri
- Melanosuchus niger, Black Caiman
References
- ^ Brochu, C. A. (1999). "Phylogenetics, Taxonomy, and Historical Biogeography of Alligatoroidea". Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir. 6: 9–100. doi:10.2307/3889340. JSTOR 3889340.
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