Alligatoridae (Alligators and Caimans)

Species in this group

LC Endemic

Alligator mississippiensis

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

LC

Caiman yacare

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

LC

Caiman crocodilus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

LC

Caiman latirostris

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

LC

Melanosuchus niger

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

LC

Paleosuchus trigonatus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Daily sighting probability by month

Probability-weighted average across the group's species

~50%

Jan

~50%

Feb

~50%

Mar

~50%

Apr

~50%

May

~50%

Jun

~50%

Jul

~50%

Aug

~50%

Sep

~50%

Oct

~40%

Nov

~50%

Dec

When they're spotted

When the group's species are recorded (aggregated)

Where to see Alligators and Caimans

Warmer areas are where this group is recorded most often. Shaded: the known ranges of its 7 species, darker where more of them overlap (GARD, Roll et al. 2017 & Caetano et al. 2022). Our parks Our cities In captivity: 403 zoos & centres

Parks Ranked

#	Park	Country	Species	Daily sighting probability
1	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 6	~90%
	American Alligator			~90%
2	Iberá National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	2 of 6	~90%
	Yacare Caiman			~80%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~50%
3	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 6	~80%
	American Alligator			~80%
4	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~80%
	Yacare Caiman			~80%
5	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 6	~80%
	Common Caiman			~80%
6	Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve	🇪🇨 Ecuador	3 of 6	~80%
	Common Caiman			~50%
	Black Caiman			~40%
	Smooth-fronted Caiman			~20%
7	El Impenetrable National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	1 of 6	~70%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~70%
8	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	3 of 6	~70%
	Common Caiman			~40%
	Black Caiman			~40%
	Smooth-fronted Caiman			~10%
9	Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 6	~70%
	American Alligator			~70%
10	Anavilhanas National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	2 of 6	~70%
	Black Caiman			~50%
	Common Caiman			~40%
11	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 6	~60%
	Common Caiman			~60%
12	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	3 of 6	~60%
	Black Caiman			~30%
	Common Caiman			~30%
	Smooth-fronted Caiman			~20%
13	Manu National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	3 of 6	~60%
	Common Caiman			~30%
	Black Caiman			~30%
	Smooth-fronted Caiman			~20%
14	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 6	~50%
	Common Caiman			~50%
15	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 6	~50%
	Common Caiman			~50%
16	Caroni Swamp	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	1 of 6	~50%
	Common Caiman			~50%
17	Congaree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 6	~50%
	American Alligator			~50%
18	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 6	~50%
	Common Caiman			~50%
19	Iguazú National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	1 of 6	~40%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~40%
20	Iguaçu National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~40%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~40%
21	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 6	~40%
	Common Caiman			~40%
22	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 6	~40%
	Common Caiman			~40%
23	Sierra de la Macarena National Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	1 of 6	~40%
	Common Caiman			~40%
24	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 6	~30%
	Common Caiman			~30%
25	El Palmar National Park	🇦🇷 Argentina	1 of 6	~30%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~30%
26	Tayrona National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	1 of 6	~30%
	Common Caiman			~30%
27	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 6	~30%
	Common Caiman			~30%
28	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 6	~20%
	Common Caiman			~20%
29	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 6	~20%
	Common Caiman			~20%
30	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 6	~20%
	Common Caiman			~20%
31	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 6	~20%
	Common Caiman			~20%
32	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 6	~10%
	Common Caiman			~10%
33	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	1 of 6	~10%
	Common Caiman			~10%
34	Tijuca National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~10%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~10%

Cities Ranked

#	City	Country	Species	Daily sighting probability
1	Manaus	🇧🇷 Brazil	3 of 6	~70%
	Common Caiman			~50%
	Smooth-fronted Caiman			~30%
	Black Caiman			~20%
2	Recife	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~40%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~40%
3	João Pessoa	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~40%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~40%
4	Santa Cruz de la Sierra	🇧🇴 Bolivia	1 of 6	~30%
	Yacare Caiman			~30%
5	Maceió	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~30%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~30%
6	Valencia	🇻🇪 Venezuela	1 of 6	~30%
	Common Caiman			~30%
7	Asuncion	🇵🇾 Paraguay	1 of 6	~30%
	Yacare Caiman			~30%
8	São Luís	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~20%
	Common Caiman			~20%
9	Belo Horizonte	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~20%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~20%
10	Miami	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 6	~20%
	American Alligator			~20%
11	Panama City	🇵🇦 Panama	1 of 6	~20%
	Common Caiman			~20%
12	Campo Grande	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~20%
	Yacare Caiman			~20%
13	Orlando	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 6	~20%
	American Alligator			~20%
14	Houston	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 6	~20%
	American Alligator			~20%
15	Rio de Janeiro	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~20%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~20%
16	Cali	🇨🇴 Colombia	1 of 6	~10%
	Common Caiman			~10%
17	São Paulo	🇧🇷 Brazil	1 of 6	~10%
	Broad-snouted Caiman			~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Disney's Animal Kingdom	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
2	SeaWorld Orlando	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
3	Busch Gardens Tampa	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
4	San Diego Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
5	Moscow Zoo	🇷🇺 Russia	In captivity
6	Pairi Daiza	🇧🇪 Belgium	In captivity
7	National Zoological Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
8	Shedd Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
9	ZooParc de Beauval	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
10	Leipzig Zoological Garden	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
11	Denver Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
12	Copenhagen Zoo	🇩🇰 Denmark	In captivity
13	Tierpark Berlin	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
14	Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
15	Aquarium of Genoa	🇮🇹 Italy	In captivity
16	The Blue Planet	🇩🇰 Denmark	In captivity
17	California Academy of Sciences	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
18	Antwerp Zoo	🇧🇪 Belgium	In captivity
19	Parque das Aves	🇧🇷 Brazil	In captivity
20	Barcelona Zoo	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
21	Le Pal	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
22	North Carolina Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
23	Australia Zoo	🇦🇺 Australia	In captivity
24	Kolmården Wildlife Park	🇸🇪 Sweden	In captivity
25	Nausicaà Centre National de la Mer	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
26	Zoo Pilsen	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
27	Melaka Zoo and Bird Park	🇲🇾 Malaysia	In captivity
28	Réserve africaine de Sigean	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
29	Abilene Zoological Gardens	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
30	Kaliningrad Zoo	🇷🇺 Russia	In captivity
31	Aquarium du palais de la Porte Dorée	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
32	Zoobotánico Jerez	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
33	Zoobotanic Park of Brusque	🇧🇷 Brazil	In captivity
34	Silver Springs	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
35	Zoo Miami	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
36	Jardín Botánico y Zoológico de Asunción	🇵🇾 Paraguay	In captivity
37	Lion Country Safari	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
38	Toronto Zoo	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity
39	Parque Zoológico	🇧🇷 Brazil	In captivity
40	Safari West	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
41	Columbus Zoo and Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
42	Bronx Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
43	Wildlife Safari	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
44	Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden	🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China	In captivity
45	Zoological Garden of Belo Horizonte	🇧🇷 Brazil	In captivity
46	Zoológico de Brasília	🇧🇷 Brazil	In captivity
47	Kansas City Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
48	SeaWorld San Antonio	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
49	Ramat Gan Safari	🇮🇱 Israel	In captivity
50	Planète Sauvage	🇫🇷 France	In captivity