# Spectacled caiman (*Caiman crocodilus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/spectacled-caiman  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) is a crocodilian reptile in the family Alligatoridae, order Crocodylia. It falls in the medium size class, with a representative adult body mass of 10.9 kg and reported values from 10.55 to 12.21 kg. Its main foods are fish and snail, and it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category. It produces 1 clutch per year of 23.7 eggs, which incubate for 82 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 6 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 10.6 kg – 12.2 kg |
| Length | up to 2.5 m |
| Lifespan | 24.1 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 60 years |
| Main food | fish, snail |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Egg incubation | 82 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 14 – 40 |
| Age at maturity | 4 years – 6 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Crocodylia
- family: Alligatoridae
- genus: Caiman
- species: *Caiman crocodilus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Alligator chiapasius*, *Caiman crocodilus apaporiensis*, *Caiman crocodilus chiapasius*, *Caiman crocodilus fuscus*, *Caiman sclerops*, *Caiman sclerops apaporiensis*, *Crocodilus sclerops*, *Lacerta crocodilus*, *Perosuchus fuscus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the spectacled caiman?

The spectacled caiman is a crocodilian reptile in the family Alligatoridae and the order Crocodylia.

### How heavy is a spectacled caiman?

An adult spectacled caiman has a representative body mass of 10.9 kg, with reported values from 10.55 to 12.21 kg.

### What does the spectacled caiman eat?

Its main foods are fish and snail.

### Is the spectacled caiman endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a spectacled caiman live?

Its lifespan is given as 24.1 years, with values reported up to 60 years.

### How many eggs does a spectacled caiman lay?

It lays 23.7 eggs per clutch and produces 1 clutch per year; the eggs incubate for 82 days.

### Who named the spectacled caiman?

The scientific name Caiman crocodilus is credited to (Linnaeus, 1758).

### What are other names for the spectacled caiman?

It is also called White caiman, Common caiman, Speckled caiman and Northern spectacled caiman; Rio Apaporis caiman refers to C. c. apaporiensis.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/spectacled-caiman