Meet the black caiman. A caiman is a reptile. As of November 2026, it is the largest caiman.

It lives in the Amazon. That is a huge river area in South America. It likes slow rivers, lakes and flooded land.

Its skin is dark. It often hunts at night. It eats fish, such as catfish.

It may eat animals as big as a capybara. A capybara is a big rodent.

A young caiman eats insects and small animals. As it grows, it eats bigger prey, such as fish.

A mother builds a mound nest. She builds it in the dry season.

A nest holds about 40 eggs. The eggs take two to three months to hatch.

The mother stays close to her nest. She opens it when the eggs are ready.

Baby black caimans stay together in groups. They start life in the Amazon. They live in slow rivers and lakes.

Words to know

• reptile: kind of animal
• capybara: big rodent
• mound: pile of earth
• hatch: break out