Spectacled Caiman

Spectacled Caiman
メガネカイマン
Character Data
AKA		white caiman, common caiman
Romaji		Megane kaiman
Debut		Kemono Friends (2015 Game)
Animal Data
Scientific Name		Caiman crocodilus
Distribution		Central America, South America
Diet		Carnivore
Avg. Lifespan		30-40 years
Read More		Spectacled caiman
Conservation

Spectacled Caiman

Season 2

Pavilion

KF3

Nexon Game

Gallery

Spectacled Caiman is a Crocodilia Friend that appeared in the original Kemono Friends mobile game.

Appearance

Spectacled Caiman's old design has green hair with bunches and two yellow side franges. Her skin is pale and her eyes yellow with round glasses. She wears a green sleeveless jacket with black bands on the shoulders, on the sides of the chest down to the belly and a black notched collar. She carries fingerless leather gloves and bracelet with spikes, a green short compression garment with two black bands on the sides and green crocodile skin boots. Like the real animal, she bears a large green crocodile's tail with black strokes.

Spectacled Caiman's new design is completly different from the previous one, her hair and bunches are longer with some black tasks and a little red bow tie attached on her hair which form two bumps similiar those of the original animal's eyelids. Her jacket is more open, the collar is higher and the jacket's composition is closer to the Spectacled Caiman's skin. The spikes that were originally on her bracelets are now on the fingerless leather gloves and her boots. On top of her short compression garment, she has a torn shorts. The scales of her tail are more detailed and visible than the previous design.

Series Appearances

Appearances In Kemono Friends Media

Media		Role

In Real Life

Caiman crocodilus pair

The spectacled caiman is a medium-sized caiman measuring approximately 1.80 m in length. The maximum known size for the species is 2.65 m. Females are smaller than males with an average size of 1.4 m. A few female individuals can sometimes reach 2 m. The cayman with glasses is so named because of the bone crest located between his eyes, making think of glasses. In addition to the bony crest between the eyes, the cayman with glasses also has a triangular crest on the top of the eye, and like other members of the alligator family, the muzzle is broad and rounded. The belly skin of this caiman is not very popular for tanning and leather goods activities. Indeed, it is covered with very developed bone plates.

The caiman with glasses easily adapts to virtually all the wetlands of its range. However, it prefers areas of stagnant water such as lakes, ponds, marshes and dead riverbanks. This reptile can tolerate a certain degree of salinity of water. If the environmental conditions are too severe, they will sink into the mud and hibernate. The vast floodplain of the Pantanal provides ideal habitat for caiman during the rainy season.

Like all crocodilians, the Spectacled Caiman is a predator perfectly adapted to the aquatic life. Young Caimans feed mainly on invertebrates such as snails, insects and crustaceans. As they grow, the variety of prey diversifies. If they hunt less insects, they feed on fish, amphibians, reptiles and waterfowl. Larger specimens can also attack mammals such as deer. In dry weather, when food is scarce, adults can then tackle small caimans. During the caiman nesting period, the tegu can destroy up to 80% of the caiman nests in some places. The coatis and the foxes can also loot the nests. Juveniles are the prey of large fish, waders, large snakes and crocodiles. Adults are able to defend themselves against most of these predators other than humans.

Although usually lonely, the spectacular caiman can sometimes be seen in groups. He remains on the same territory and remains motionless almost all day. In the mid-day heat, he stays in the water and basks on the mainland from morning until early afternoon. The caiman with glasses usually feeds at night. During the breeding season, it becomes territorial and aggressive. In the groups, the social rank is determined by the size of the individuals, the largest dominating the smaller ones. Animals with the highest social status are more likely to mate than others. The spectacular caiman uses taste, touch, sound and visual senses for social and reproductive communication. The ability to detect vibrations in water can help in the detection of prey.

Trivia

Caiman crocodilus

• Spectacled caimans are able to change the color of the skin and become dark-colored during the cold period of the year.

References

• "Caïman à lunettes (Caiman crocodilus)". manimalworld.