Caiman latirostris
Silhouette: Berrucomons · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) is a crocodilian in the family Alligatoridae found in eastern and central South America, including the Pantanal habitat of Bolivia, Southeast Brazil, and Paraguay, as well as northern Argentina and Uruguay. Behind the black caiman (Melanosuchus niger), it is the second-largest caiman species; it is the third-largest alligatorid behind the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and the aforementioned black caiman. Primarily, the species inhabits freshwater wetlands, including floodplains, marshes, swamps, and some mangrove forests, as well as various streams, rivers, lakes or ponds, preferring bodies of rather still or slower-moving water. They will often use man-made cow ponds, disused stock tanks, and canals and ditches, as well.
The broad-snouted caiman is one of three extant (living) species of the genus Caiman, the other two being the Spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) and the Yacare caiman (Caiman yacare). There are also several extinct fossil species in the genus Caiman, possibly up to eight species. The broad-snouted caiman is a member of the caiman subfamily Caimaninae, and is one of six living species... Wikipedia →
Recording0:16
Brazil · 2024
© Lucas Leuzinger · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Maceió | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
No species of the same family or order lives in Iguaçu National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Broad-snouted Caiman sighting in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, based on 109 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 17 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February and May
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Broad-snouted Caiman in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, against about 20% in September, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Broad-snouted Caiman sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Broad-snouted Caiman sightings, Iguaçu National Park ranks 4th at about 40%. The best odds are in El Impenetrable National Park (Argentina, about 70%), Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 50%) and Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Broad-snouted Caiman is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Iguaçu National Park (109 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
