Brandon
Brown
Bio Summative
Black Caiman
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More so than the others in its family, Black Caimans were hunted extensively for their skin known to to produce a shiny leather look. beginning in the 1940’s to the 1070’s this species saw a dramatic decrease with 66,000 hides being exported from Colombia in the early 1970’s. Product and demand resulted in a decrease of close to 99 percent of the Black Caiman species; not to mention partial extinction in previous areas they once thrived - Colombia and the Amazon River itself - www.arkive.org.
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the Black Caiman is known to be the largest of its family - Alligatoridae - and is feared by all inside the amazon ecosystem. But also many other ecosystems, as they are defined as a generalist species meaning they have the ability to thrive in a wide range of environments and environmental conditions. Their alpha like existence has made them an apex predator (have few predators of their own), while you Black Caimans might get picked on and consumed by anacondas and jaguars, they soon live up to the status of their species as they grow and develop. Male Caiman alone are known to grow 4-5 meters in length and can weigh up to 880lbs. Females grow to about 3 meters in length and weigh 220lbs. So as this species is equipped with thick hide, immensive strength and killer speed it has the ability to take out all who cross its path including humans. Residing at the top of the food chain, this species is also known to be a keystone species, helping to maintain the ecological balance within the ecosystem.
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Breeding every 2-3 years Black Caiman females can lay over 30 eggs weighing 144kg. They construct nests 1.5m long and end up being assailable to bloodsucking flies, which generally attack their eyes as they are the most vulnerable due to their large nature. The result is blood shot eyes. Nevertheless, this species remains strong as they guard their eggs which are generally consumed by rodents, snakes, birds, vultures and other animals once they leave to hunt, or gather supplies.
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Kingdom:Animalia
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Phylum:Chordata
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Class:Reptilia
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Order:Crocodilia
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Family:Alligatoridae
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Genus:Melanosuchus
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Species:M. niger
Human Impact on Black Caiman
Due to the illegal situation in regard to the hunting of american alligators. Attention was shifted to the Black Caiman. Most notorious for being the largest of the Alligatoridae family. Already one can tell that hunters were head over heel to hear such news.
Skin hunting was particularly intense in the early 1950s, and between 1950 and 1965 a total of 7.5 million caiman skins were exported from Amazonas State alone (Wildlife Conservation Society). Black Caimans were hunted extensively for their skin known to to produce a shiny leather look. beginning in the 1940’s to the 1970’s this species saw a dramatic decrease with 66,000 hides being exported from Colombia in the early 1970’s. Product and demand resulted in a decrease of close to 99 percent of the Black Caiman species; not to mention partial extinction in previous areas they once thrived.
the hunting of this species was not always for their hide, though important, they were also hunted for their meat. In the mid-1990s an estimated trade in excess of 100 tons of caiman meat per year was coming from the region of the Mamirauá Reserve. dispersed throughout Brazil, Columbia and the Amazon, Black Caiman were wasting the time of many hunters as they were no easy to find after so many had been killed. In turn, hunters then switched their attention to the Spectacled Caiman - a lower quality product.