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Yacare Caiman | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Yacare Caiman

Caiman yacare

ReptiliaSeasonally flooded wetland, rivers and oxbow lakesLeast Concern

Field profile

The yacare caiman is a medium-sized caiman of central South American wetlands, usually two to three metres. It reaches extraordinary densities in the Pantanal, where flooded grassland concentrates fish. Illegal hide hunting in the 1980s was severe before enforcement and legal ranching reduced the pressure.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-08-09

Yacare Caiman

The Pantanal holds millions of yacare caimans

Seasonal flooding across an area larger than England concentrates fish into shrinking pools each dry season, and the yacare caiman exploits it. Population estimates for the Pantanal run into the millions, among the densest crocodilian aggregations anywhere.

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