Caiman - Kaiman (English spelling) caiman

Japanese: カイマン - かいまん（英語表記）caiman

A general term for crocodiles belonging to the Caimaninae subfamily of the Alligatoridae family of the Crocodilian order of the Reptilia class. They are classified as a different group from the Alligatorinae subfamily because they have no bony septa in the nostrils and the bony plates of the ventral scales are well developed and overlap like tiles. They are further classified into three genera and five species based on the number of teeth in the premaxilla, the color of the iris, the shape of the eye socket, etc. The Caiman genus, whose baby crocodiles are popular as pets in Japan, has a relatively long and slender snout, and the Spectacled Caiman C. crocodilus is divided into four subspecies: the basal subspecies C. c. crocodilus , the Paraguayan Caiman C. c. yacare , the Magdalena Caiman (Panamanian Caiman) C. c. fuscus , and the Apaporicensis C. c. apaporicensis . Of these, the spectacled caiman is the most commonly seen in Japan, with a total length of 2.5 meters, and when viewed from the front, the shape of the eye sockets in front of the eyes makes it look like the caiman is wearing glasses. The broad-lipped caiman C. latirostris , which lives in the southern Amazon basin, lives together with the spectacled caiman in some areas. The pygmy caiman genus Paleosuchus includes the pygmy caiman P. palpebrosus and the Brazilian caiman P. trigonatus , both of which are about 1.2 meters in total length. On the other hand, the black caiman M. niger of the genus Melanosuchus can reach a maximum length of 5 meters, as its alternative name for the giant caiman suggests, and is the only caiman species that is considered dangerous.

Although the value of the skin of the caimaninae crocodiles is low because their abdominal scales are hard and ossified, they are hunted in large numbers for stuffed animals and as pets, and their numbers are declining drastically. They also feed on small animals and fish, and sometimes even eat turtles.

[Takahiro Matsui]

Major types of crocodiles [specimen illustrations]
©Takahiro Matsui ">

Major types of crocodiles [specimen illustrations]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

爬虫(はちゅう)綱ワニ目アリゲーター科カイマン亜科に属するワニの総称。鼻孔に骨質の隔壁がなく、腹鱗板(ふくりんばん)には骨質板がよく発達し瓦(かわら)を並べたように重なる点でアリゲーター亜科とは別グループに分けられる。さらに前顎骨(ぜんがくこつ)の歯の数、虹彩(こうさい)の色彩、眼窩(がんか)の形状などの相違によって3属5種に分類されている。日本でも子ワニがペットとして人気のあるカイマン属Caimanは比較的吻部(ふんぶ)が細長く、メガネカイマンC. crocodilusは基亜種のメガネカイマンC. c. crocodilusのほか、パラグアイカイマンC. c. yacare、マグダレナカイマン（パナマカイマン）C. c. fuscusおよびアパポリスカイマンC. c. apaporicensisの4亜種に分けられる。このうち日本でもよくみられるのはメガネカイマンで、全長2.5メートル、顔を前方からみると、目の前にある眼窩の形が眼鏡をかけているようにみえる。アマゾン流域南部にすむクチヒロカイマンC. latirostrisは地域によりメガネカイマンの仲間と混生している。コビトカイマン属Paleosuchusにはともに全長1.2メートルほどのコビトカイマンP. palpebrosusとブラジルカイマンP. trigonatusがいる。一方、クロカイマン属MelanosuchusのクロカイマンM. nigerはオオカイマンの別名のとおり最大5メートルに達し、カイマンの仲間では唯一の危険種とされる。