Caiman of the Orinoco (Crocodylus intermedius)

Venezuela is geographically positioned in one of the most diverse points of the world, which is why it is in the Top 10 of the world's megadiverse countries, with multiple climates, landscapes, ecosystems, flora and fauna.

Today I present to you one of the three (3) species of crocodiles that we can find in the Venezuelan territory, it is the Orinoco caiman, which as its common name indicates is endemic to the Orinoco River basin, its scientific name is (Crocodrylus intermedius) this crocodile is the largest in the country and Latin America.

The Orinoco crocodile is the largest predator in Latin America and one of the largest living reptiles on the planet, as it can exceptionally reach 7 m in length, but recently there have been no records of individuals over 5 m in length.

They live mainly in rivers with large beds and turbulent waters, their current distribution is highly fragmented and fragmented, so there is a low probability that the current populations form a metapopulation. However, there are currently multiple conservation plans for this species, as it is a key species within the ecosystem.

In each of the localities where the current populations are found, the species faces threats of diverse characteristics such as hunting, accidental deaths in fishing nets, river pollution and the collection of eggs and hatchlings, the greatest threat being poaching for the production of boots, purses, hats and other products.

I hope you liked this little piece of information about this majestic species and that it will help you to think twice about choosing the products you use. The photos are my own, taken with my Samsung Galaxy S2 cell phone and its 8 megapixel camera in 2013 during a tour of the UNELLEZ Zoocreeper, where the repopulation of this species is carried out every year in areas where the existence of the Orinoco caiman is historically known as an "Ex situ Conservation" plan.