While not as well known as its alligator cousins, the black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) is a fascinating and fearsome inhabitant of the Amazon rainforest that will essentially eat anything it can get its jaws around. However, its place at the top of the food chain is constantly under threat from other large predators that share this habitat.
How big do black caiman get?
Growing up to 5 meters (16.4 feet), the black caiman is the largest member of the Alligatoridae family, which includes alligators, caimans, and their extinct relatives. The scales of black caiman are a dark green-tinged color that acts as camouflage in the murky waters of the Amazon at night.
They inhabit parts of several countries in the Amazon Basin, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, and (possibly) Venezuela.
In previous decades, the species was considered vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN Red List. Their downfall was illegal hunting. Not only were they hunted for meat, but also for their attractive skins that were sought-after by the fashion industry.
Fortunately, it’s believed they have “undergone substantial recovery in several parts of its range,” although the IUCN still says more data about their conservation status is needed.
What do black caiman eat?
A study in 2019 tagged 75 black caimans in French Guiana, hoping to get an insight into their wide, generalist diet. They found that the bulk of their diet was made up of fish, but they also consumed considerable amounts of water birds and mammals that strayed too close to the water’s edge. Though not listed in the study, this can include animals such as deer, peccaries, and tapirs.
There is even evidence of them eating jaguars and anacondas, two other species often considered to be apex predators of the Amazon.
Green anacondas, jaguars, and black caiman are effectively in a battle for the top spot of the food chain. While black caimans are known to eat anacondas, it’s not unusual for larger anacondas to prey on juvenile black caiman.
Black caiman human attacks
Humans can be on the menu too when times get tough. One case report tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who was killed by a black caiman in Rondônia State, the Brazilian Amazon.
Trigger warning: black caiman attacks sound utterly horrific.
In February 2010, the girl was attacked by a 4.21-meter (13-foot) black caiman at around noon while bathing with her friends in a flooded area. Police and firefighters arrived at the scene, but the child and the animal couldn’t be found. It wasn’t until around 8 pm that the caiman reemerged with the girl still in its jaws. The caiman was shot dead by seven shots and the child’s body was recovered.
“[A]lligators and other crocodilians come close to the victim using their camouflage ability, then attack suddenly and swallow small prey whole,” the study reads.
“If the victim is a large animal, it is dragged into deep waters and drowned. When death occurs, the reptile holds the victim in the river bottom or the victim remains stuck in the mouth for some time (still submerged), waiting for the decomposition and softening of tissues. The reptile then disarticulates it with a rotary movement of the body, swallowing body segments whole as its teeth are not adapted for chewing,” it adds.
Source Link: Black Caiman: The Amazon's Apex Predator That Hunts Everything – Even Humans