Caiman are small to medium sized crocodylians that make their home in
Central and South America. There are several extant species. Her diet
consists predominently of fish, including pirahna, but the occasional
terrestrial vertebrate or large insect is taken and devoured. She can
normally be found in mangrove swamps or rivers, lurking and waiting for
her prey. When it comes time to breed, she will come ashore and lay
between ten to fifty eggs in a nest she has constructed from vegetation.
As this vegetation decays, it produces heat and incubates the eggs. The
temperature of the eggs determines the gender of the offspring, with
females being produced at 32 degrees celsius or higher, and males at
lower temperatures. Mothers are very protective and will carry their
youngsters down to the water.
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