Spectacled Caiman Species Profile

This was the ”alligator” that was most familiar to pet keepers for the last 40 years. Spectacled caimans were first harvested, then farmed by the hundreds of thousands in South America during that time. These light tan animals do not achieve the monstrous proportions of most crocodilians, and their hatchlings are subsequently smaller too – averaging 7 to 9 inches when they emerge from their eggs. Snappy in temperament at first, most specimens settle down quickly into perpetually hungry little eating machines. Favorite food items include insects and fish; it’s the fast, wriggling movements of those fast moving prey animals that attracts the alert eye of ravenous youngsters. Although these caimans start out cute and spunky, most of them soon outgrow their owner’s initial pet accommodations.