Spectacled Caiman: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Crocodiles and Big Reptiles · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. A bony ridge runs between its eyes, like the bridge of a pair of glasses. That is how the spectacled caiman got its name.
2. The mother builds a heap of plants as a nest. As it rots, it gives off heat, keeping the eggs about 5 °C warmer than mud would.
3. Young caimans grow up in a kind of nursery: one female looks after her own babies and those of other mothers, for 12 to 18 months.
4. Caimans talk with nine different calls and 13 body signals. A male can send a message just by holding his tail straight up or bent in an arch.
5. Its colour shifts with the seasons. In cold weather, dark pigment spreads in its skin cells and the caiman looks darker.

The quiz

1. Where does the spectacled caiman's name come from?

• White rings around its eyes
• Its very poor eyesight
• Its glowing yellow eyes
• A bony ridge between its eyes (correct)

The ridge between its eyes looks like a pair of spectacles.

2. What keeps a caiman nest warm?

• Rotting plants that give off heat (correct)
• The mother lying on the eggs
• Hot stones placed by the father
• Feathers collected from birds

As the plants in the nest decay, they produce heat.

3. Who looks after young caimans in a crèche?

• Nobody, they are on their own
• Only their father
• One female, for her own and others' young (correct)
• A group of herons

One female cares for her own babies and several others'.

4. How many different calls does the spectacled caiman use?

• Two
• Nine (correct)
• Thirty
• A hundred

It uses nine calls and 13 visual displays to communicate.

5. What happens to its colour in cold weather?

• It turns white
• It turns bright green
• Its spots disappear
• It gets darker (correct)

Dark pigment spreads in its skin cells when it is cold.

More about the Spectacled Caiman

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries