The Caiman
This is the nearest relative of the alligator and is found in Central America and tropical South America. As seen by the table on [page 2], it is usually a small animal, though one species, the black caiman, is said to reach a length of twenty feet ([Fig. 10]). The nasal bones do not form a bony septum as in the alligator and the ventral armor consists of overlapping bony scutes. The canine teeth of the lower jaw fit into a pit in the upper jaw, as in the alligator.
They are said by some writers to be extremely abundant in the waters of the upper Amazon, migrating to the flooded forests during the rainy season and returning to the streams on the approach of the dry season. According to Ditmars there are five species of caiman of which the spectacled caiman, C. sclerops, and the black caiman, C. niger, are the most striking. The former is so named because of the spectacled appearance due to the swollen and wrinkled upper eyelids; it reaches a length of eight feet and is said to be of a treacherous disposition. The latter has a blunt snout like the alligator and is the largest of the New World crocodilians.