Smooth Fronted Caiman Skull

Description

Smooth Fronted Caiman Skull measures 10.1×5.5×4.3 in. Smooth Fronted Caiman Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA. Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home decor skull, or office decor skull.

The Smooth Fronted Caiman or Paleosuchus trigonatus, also known as Schneider’s Dwarf Caiman or Schneider’s Smooth-Fronted Caiman is a crocodilian from South America, where it is native to the Amazon and Orinoco Basins.

The Smooth Fronted Caiman or Paleosuchus trigonatus is the second smallest species of the family Alligatoridae. An adult typically grows to around 3.9 to 5.2 feet in length and weighs between 20 and 44 lbs. Exceptionally large males can reach as much 7.5 feet in length and 79 lbs. in weight. The smooth-fronted caiman is not extensively hunted because its skin contains many bony scutes, which make it of little use for leather.

The head of the smooth fronted caiman is similar in appearance to that of the spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus), but no bony ridge or “spectacle” occurs between the eyes. The scutes on the back of the neck and the tail are large, triangular, and sharp. It has heavily ossified body armor on both its dorsal and ventral surfaces. The relatively short tail is broad at its base and flattened dorsoventrally in contrast to most species of crocodilians which have laterally flattened tails.

The bony scutes on the tail have sideways projections; and the tail is so well armored, that it is relatively inflexible. The Smooth fronted caiman or Paleosuchus trigonatus is a dark greyish-brown with mid-brown eyes. Males grow to about 5 ft 7 in. long, with the largest recorded specimen being 8 ft 6 in. Female Paleosuchus trigonatus do not often 4 ft 7 in. It is a robust crocodilian, strong for its size, and tends to carry its head high with its neck angled upwards.

The smooth fronted caiman or Paleosuchus trigonatus is native to the Amazon and Orinoco Basins in South America and is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

It inhabits small streams in forested areas where in some cases, the water may be insufficiently deep for it to completely submerge itself. It is seldom seen in open areas and does not usually bask in the sun, even in captivity.

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