Caiman

Caiman is a genus of alligatorids in the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the family Alligatoridae, comprising three species: the spectacled caiman, the broad-snouted caiman and the yacare caiman. Native to Central and South America, caimans inhabit marshes, swamps, lakes and mangrove rivers, and most species average about 2 to 2.5 meters in length. They differ from alligators in lacking a bony septum between the nostrils, in having ventral armor of overlapping bony scutes formed from two parts joined by a suture, and in longer, sharper teeth.