Four species of caiman exist in Guyana: the Black Caiman, Spectacled Caiman and two species of dwarf caiman. Alligators do not occur naturally in Guyana! The two species of Dwarf Caiman that are found in Guyana are Cuvier’s Smooth Front Caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus) and Schneider’s Dwarf Caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus). Both species prefer cooler waters than other crocodilian species and they lack the ridge nestled between their eyes like the Spectacled Caiman and Black Caiman, hence they are called “smooth front” caimans. Their range includes the Amazon Basin of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela. Cuviers and Schneiders inhabit clear, clean fast moving waters with waterfalls and rapids, are known to be terrestrial and may frequently be seen resting along the edge of water bodies.
While these species may look similar there are subtle differences in their behaviour and morphology. Like their other crocodilian relatives the species are sexually dimorphic. Cuvier’s Caiman is the smallest of the crocodilian species with the males growing to about 1.3 – 1.5m while the females grow to 1.2 m. Cuvier’s Caiman retains the reddish brown body colour it hatches with; its back is mostly plain and nearly black while
