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Caymen Alexander Kaufmann
A caiman ( (also spelled cayman) from Taíno ''kaiman'') is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family, the other being alligators. Caimans are native to Central and South America and inhabit marshes, swamps, lakes, and mangrove rivers. They have scaly skin and live a fairly nocturnal existence. They are relatively small-sized crocodilians with an average maximum weight of depending on species, with the exception of the black caiman (''Melanosuchus niger''), which can grow more than in length and weigh in excess of 450 kg (1,000 Ib). The black caiman is the largest caiman species in the world and is found in the slow-moving rivers and lakes that surround the Amazon basin. The smallest species is the Cuvier's dwarf caiman (''Paleosuchus palpebrosus''), which grows to long. There are six different species of caiman found throughout the watery jungle habitats of Central and Southern America. The av ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caiman Lizards
''Dracaena'' (romanized form of the Ancient Greek δράκαινα - ''drakaina'', "female dragon"), is a genus of lizards, also commonly called caiman lizards or water tegus, in the family Teiidae, along with tegus and ameivas. Caiman lizards are native to South America, where they are found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru. These semiaquatic lizards spend a lot of time in the water and inhabit marshes, streams, and flooded forests. Caiman lizards often bask on branches overhanging the water. Classification Extant Species Listed alphabetically. The Reptile Database Fossils * †'''' - the ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orthogenysuchus
''Orthogenysuchus'' is an extinct genus of caimanine alligatorids. Fossils have been found from the Wasatch Beds of the Willwood Formation of Wyoming, deposited during the early Eocene. The type species is ''O. olseni''. The holotype, known as AMNH 5178, is the only known specimen belonging to the genus and consists of a skull lacking the lower jaws. The braincase is filled in by the matrix and most of the suture lines between bones are indiscernible, making comparisons with other eusuchian material difficult. Phylogeny ''Orthogenysuchus'' was first named in 1924 by Charles C. Mook and was referred to as a eusuchian, although not to any particular eusuchian group known at the time. Later publications assigned the genus to the Crocodylidae, but more recent analyses propose that it is a pristichampsid or even a synonym of ''Pristichampsus''. In 1999, ''Orthogenysuchus'' was placed within a new clade containing the Miocene caimanines ''Purussaurus'' and ''Mourasuchus''. ''Orthogen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Centenariosuchus
''Centenariosuchus'' is an extinct genus of caimanine crocodylian known from the Miocene of the Panama Canal Zone of Panama.''Centenariosuchus'' at .org It contains a single , ''Centenariosuchus gilmorei'', that was named in 2013 in honor of the upcoming centennial anniversary of the digging of the Panama Canal. Two fossil specimens consisting of skull fragments were found in the Early to Middle Miocene Cucaracha Formation in 2009 and 2011, and may belong ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acresuchus
''Acresuchus'' ("Acre crocodile") is an extinct monospecific genus of medium-sized caiman from the Late Miocene of western Brazil and Venezuela. The genus contains a single species, ''Acresuchus pachytemporalis''. ''Acresuchus'' is a close relative of the giant caiman ''Purussaurus.'' Description The hypodigm of ''Acresuchus'' consists of the holotype, UFAC-2507, a nearly complete skull, and several referred specimens, most found in Niteroi, located in the Solimões Formation in Acre. ''Acresuchus'' takes its name from the state it was found in (Acre), while the species name ''pachytemporalis'' refers to the extreme thickening of the squamosal bones in the holotype. Another specimen, MCNUSB-PB-02FU-RS43, a skull fragment, was found in the middle member of the Urumaco Formation in Venezuela. According to the describing authors, ''Acresuchus'' is a "caimanine with a medium-sized body, teeth with smooth (non-serrated) carinae, orbits large in comparison with other caimanines, h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melanosuchus
''Melanosuchus'', from Ancient Greek μέλας (''mélas''), meaning "black", and σούχος (''soúkhos''), meaning "crocodile", is a genus of caiman. The genus is most commonly referred to as the "Black Caimans". The black caiman of South America is the sole extant taxon, extant (living) species, and is the largest living member of the subfamily Caimaninae, as well as the entire alligator family (biology), family Alligatoridae. Taxonomy There are two known valid species of ''Melanosuchus'', one extant and one extinct: *''Melanosuchus niger'' (Johann Baptist von Spix, Spix, 1825) – known as the Black caiman, native to the Amazon basin of South America *''Melanosuchus latrubessei'' Souza-Filho et al, 2020 – discovered in the Solimões Formation of Brazil, dating from the Upper Miocene ''Melanosuchus fisheri'', named by Medina in 1976, from the Late Miocene Urumaco Formation of Venezuela is sometimes considered as a ''nomen dubium'', and possibly synonymous with ''Melanosuc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacarea
Jacarea is a clade of caimans within the subfamily Caimaninae. Jacarea was first named by Norell in 1988 to include the extant species within the genera ''Caiman'' and ''Melanosuchus'', while excluding the dwarf caiman genus '' Paleosuchus''. In 1999, Brochu formally cladistically defined Jacarea as the last common ancestor of ''Caiman latirosris'' ( Broad-snouted caiman), ''Caiman crocodilus'' ( Spectacled caiman), ''Caiman yacare'' ( Yacare caiman), ''Melanosuchus niger'' (Black caiman), and all its descendants. Molecular DNA phylogenetic studies recover '' Paleosuchus'' as outside of Jacarea, although morphological studies are inconsistent. The cladogram A cladogram (from Greek language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ... below shows the results of the strict consensus phylogenetic analysis of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stangerochampsa
''Stangerochampsa'' is an extinct genus of alligatorid, possibly an alligatorine or a stem-caiman, from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta. It is based on RTMP.86.61.1, a skull, partial lower jaws, and partial postcranial skeleton discovered in the late Campanian– early Maastrichtian-age Horseshoe Canyon Formation. ''Stangerochampsa'' was described in 1996 by Wu and colleagues. The type species is ''S. mccabei''. The generic name honors the Stanger family, the owners of the ranch where the specimen was found, and the species name honors James Ross McCabe, who discovered, collected, and prepared it. ''Stangerochampsa'' is described as "small to medium–sized"; the type skull is long from the tip of the snout to the occipital condyle, and is wide at its greatest, while the thigh bone is long. It had heterodont dentition, with large crushing teeth at the rear of the jaws. Classification Wu and colleagues, using phylogenetic analyses, found their new genus to be closest to ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chrysochampsa
''Chrysochampsa'' is an extinct monospecific genus of Caimaninae, caiman of the clade Brachychampsini. Fossils have been found from the Golden Valley Formation of North Dakota and date back to the Wasatchian regional North American faunal stage of the early Eocene. During this time North Dakota experienced the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum, creating lush forests, swamps and meandering rivers that were the home to at least four distinct crocodilians. Unlike the contemporary ''Ahdeskatanka'', which was a small animal with crushing teeth, ''Chrysochampsa'' would have been a generalist. Due to its size and lack of significant mammalian carnivores, it would have been the apex predator of the region. The genus had been proposed to be Synonym (taxonomy), synonymous with ''Allognathosuchus'' in 2004, but this claim has since then been repeatedly refuted. A 2024 study has recovered it as an early branching member of the Caimaninae, forming a clade with Cretaceous forms such as ''Brachychamp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
