Black Caiman
Melanosuchus niger
🇬🇾🐊
Chordata
Reptilia
Crocodilia
Alligatoroidea
Alligatoridae
Melanosuchus niger
The Black Caiman — Apex Predator of the Amazonian Waters
Description
The Black Caiman is the largest predator in the Amazon Basin, a dark-scaled, nocturnal hunter that dominates its watery realm. Its armor-like hide and immense jaw strength make it a formidable ambush predator capable of taking down capybaras, deer, and even jaguars that stray too close to the river’s edge. Once feared to be on the brink of extinction due to hide hunting, the species has rebounded in many areas thanks to conservation measures.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
450
0.5
0.75
4.5
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Omnivores – Balanced
Hunt History
The Black Caiman was hunted by ancient Amazonian peoples primarily for its thick, durable hide and for meat. Evidence from prehistoric sites along the Amazon and its tributaries indicates humans used bone and wooden-tipped spears, and sometimes pit traps along the riverbanks, to capture caimans. These hunts were dangerous, communal events, often tied to ritual or sustenance cycles.
Archaeological Examples:
Marajó Island, Brazil (circa 3,000 years ago) — midden deposits include caiman bone fragments cut with stone tools.
Ucayali River Basin, Peru (circa 2,500 years ago) — rock art depicts large caimans being harpooned from canoes.
Upper Madeira River, Bolivia (circa 1,800 years ago) — evidence of caiman hunting in floodplain settlement remains.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Extant
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
0
BP
Late Pleistocene
South America
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
5
Est. Renderable Fat
22.5
kg
Targeted Organs
Visceral & subcutaneous
Adipose Depots
Visceral/subcutaneous (general)
Preferred Cuts
Visceral depot
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
3