# Yacare caiman (*Caiman yacare*)

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

The yacare caiman (Caiman yacare) is a crocodilian reptile in the family Alligatoridae, order Crocodylia, also called the Yacaré, Red caiman, Jacare caiman, Panama caiman or Piranha caiman. It falls in the medium size class, with a representative adult body mass of 12.21 kg and reported values from 10.55 to 17 kg. It lays one clutch of 25 eggs per year, the eggs incubate for 81 days, and it reaches sexual maturity at 6 years. Its lifespan is given as 24.1 years, with values up to 60 years, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 10.6 kg – 17 kg |
| Length | up to 3 m |
| Lifespan | 24.1 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 60 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | riverine, wetland |
| Egg incubation | 81 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 22 – 44 |
| Age at maturity | 4 years – 6.5 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| 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 yacare* (Daudin, 1801)

Synonyms: *Caiman crocodilus matogrossoiensis*, *Caiman crocodilus paraguayiensis*, *Caiman crocodilus yacare*, *Caiman sclerops*, *Caiman yacare medemi*, *Champsa vallifrons*, *Crocodilus yacare*, *Jacare longiscutata*, *Jacare multiscutata*, *Jacare ocellata*, *Jacaretinga crocodilus*, *Jacaretinga punctulatus*

## Common questions

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

The yacare caiman is a crocodilian reptile in the family Alligatoridae and the genus Caiman, within the order Crocodylia.

### How heavy is a yacare caiman?

An adult Yacare caiman has a representative body mass of 12.21 kg, with reported values from 10.55 to 17 kg.

### Is the yacare caiman endangered?

No. The IUCN lists the yacare caiman as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a yacare caiman live?

The yacare caiman has a lifespan of 24.1 years, with values reported up to 60 years.

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

The yacare caiman lays 25 eggs per clutch and one clutch per year. The eggs incubate for 81 days.

### When does a yacare caiman reach sexual maturity?

The yacare caiman reaches sexual maturity at 6 years, with reported ages from 4 to 6.5 years.

## 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: Yacare caiman (Caiman yacare). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/yacare-caiman