Within the family Alligatoridae, "there are 4 genera and about 7 known species of Alligatorids. Alligatorids range in size depending on species."10 "This family first appeared during the Campanian epoch of the later Cretaceous period."11 "Alligatorids live in the southern United States, Central America, northern South America and near the Yangzee river in China."12 Below is a composite of the maps for the distribution of the family Alligatoridae, as well as for the genus Caiman. The family exhibits a cosmopolitan distribution pattern possessing a very large geographic range, distributed over most continents.
As it relates to the genus Caiman, "there are six known species of the Caiman reptile:Common Caiman, Black Caiman, Broad-snouted Caiman, Cuviers Dwarf Caiman, Schneiders Dwarf Caiman, Yacare Caiman."13
"The Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus) is also known as the Common Caiman. Its distribution range includes: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Tobago, Trinidad, United States and Venezuela.
The Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger) has a distribution range including: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela.
The Broad-Snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) has a distribution range including: Argentina (north), Bolivia, Brazil (southeast), Paraguay and Uruguay.
The Cuviers Dwarf Caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus) has a distribution range including: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela.
The Schneiders Dwarf Caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus) has a distribution range including: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela.
The Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare) has a distribution range including: Argentina (north), Brazil (south), Bolivia (south) and Paraguay."14
The Genus Caiman shows a distributions pattern that is localized mostly to South and Central America. It is also found in the southern United States, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago.
The species Caiman crocodilus, as noted above shows a distribution range over Brazil,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, French
Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto
Rico, Suriname, Tobago, Trinidad, United States and Venezuela. This range is represented in figure 2 above.
