Paleosuchus trigonatus
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The smooth-fronted caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus), also known as Schneider's dwarf caiman or Schneider's smooth-fronted caiman, is a crocodilian from South America, where it is native to the Amazon and Orinoco Basins. It is the second-smallest species of the family Alligatoridae, the smallest being Cuvier's dwarf caiman, also from tropical South America and in the same genus. An adult typically grows to around 1.2 to 1.6 m (3.9 to 5.2 ft) in length and weighs between 9 and 20 kg (20 and 44 lb). Exceptionally large males can reach as much as 2.3 m (7.5 ft) in length and 36 kg (79 lb) in weight.
The smooth-fronted caiman was first described by the German classicist and naturalist Johann Gottlob Schneider in 1801. The genus name Paleosuchus is derived from the Greek palaios meaning "ancient" and soukhos meaning "crocodile". This refers to the belief that this crocodile comes from an ancient lineage that diverged from other species of caimans some 30 million years ago. The specific name trigonatus is derived from the Greek trigonos meaning "three-cornered" and Latin atus meaning "provided with" and refers to the triangular shape of the head.
At present... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manaus | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquarium of Genoa | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 2 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 6 | Chapultepec Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | bioparco | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 8 | Krefelder Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Salzburg Zoo | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 10 | Buin Zoo | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 11 | Oasi Naturalistica di Sant'Alessio | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 12 | Bioparque Los Ocarros | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 13 | Touroparc Zoo | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Reptile Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Sacramento Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Refugio Silvestre Yanacocha | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 17 | Yanacocha Animal Rescue Centre | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 18 | Kobe Animal Kingdom | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 19 | Dierenpark De Oliemeulen | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 20 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 21 | National Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Smooth-fronted Caiman sighting in Manaus on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 9th most-seen of the 20 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–July and September
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Smooth-fronted Caiman in Manaus on a given day, against under 5% in August and November–January, the lowest months. Those are among Manaus's driest months, with about 90 mm of rain a month against 270 mm in March.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Smooth-fronted Caiman sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Manaus, in our data
Manaus is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Smooth-fronted Caiman sightings: about 30% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Alligatoridae
The closest relatives of the Smooth-fronted Caiman that you can see in Manaus (family Alligatoridae, Alligators and Caimans) are Common Caiman (about 50%) and Black Caiman (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Smooth-fronted Caiman is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Manaus (15 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
