The caiman lizard is a medium sized species of lizard, natively found in the jungles of South America.

The
caiman lizard is powerfully built and is one of the largest lizard species on the American continent.

The caiman lizard can be found inhabiting the rainforest and swampland areas of South America in the
countries of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Caiman lizards are most commonly spotted in areas
which are flooded as they are very aquatic creatures.

The caiman lizard is a large and powerfully built lizard that is known to grow up to 120 centimetres from
its snout to the tip of its tail. Today, there is only one species of caiman lizard found in South America
which is the Northern caiman lizard.

As the caiman lizard spends most of its time either in or around the water, the body of the caiman lizard
has adapted in ways which help it to live an aquatic lifestyle more successfully. The best example of this
is the long, flattened tail of the caiman lizard which helps to steer it while swimming.
Caiman lizards are large carnivorous predators that only hunt other animals in order to gain their
nutrients. Snails are the primary source of food for the caiman lizard along with other invertebrates such
as insects and crabs, and occasionally larger animals such as fish, rodents and amphibians.

Due to its relatively large size and part water, part tree-dwelling lifestyle, caiman lizards have limited
predators within their natural environment. Large predatory mammals including jaguars are known to
hunt the caiman lizard along with other large reptiles including snakes and crocodiles.