Geographic Variation in Clutch Size and Reproductive Season of the Dwarf Caiman,Paleosuchus palpebrosus,in Brazil

Abstract

Abstract We studied nesting of Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman, Paleosuchus palpebrosus, in flooded forest around the Amazon River, and streams draining into the Brazilian Pantanal. Nests were located by searching on foot. Eighty nests were located in the Amazonian sites between 2001 and 2010, and 35 nests were found in the Serra das Araras Ecological Station and streams draining Urucum Mountain on the periphery of the Pantanal between 2006 and 2011. Sizes of embryos indicated that nesting occurs in the Amazonian sites during the dry season and coincides with falling water levels. Although nesting coincides with the warmest and wettest months in the streams around the Pantanal, the streams are not subject to long-term floods. Clutch size varied from eight to 21 eggs, was correlated with female size, and the mean clutch size did not differ between the Amazonian sites and those around the Pantanal.