Archives of The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 29, Number 4;   April, 2002

Caiman Lizards: Snail Smashers From South America

by Tom Scollins

A member of the Teiidae family of lizards, Caiman Lizards look like a cross between a Caiman and a Tegu. They are heavy bodied lizards when full grown at about four feet. Dracaena guianensis has a green to light brown body and an orange to red colored head. Males tend to have brighter, heads with more red than females. They have large raised conical scales on their tails and neck which give them a very Crocodilian appearance. These lizards also have very dark almost onyx, eyes. These eyes give them a puppydog appearance that is hard to resist when they beg for food!

.Like their namesake they spend a lot of time in the water. Caiman Lizards inhabit flooded forests, streams, and marshes in Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru. They will frequently climb and bask on branches overhanging the water. One of the most fascinating things to watch is a Caiman Lizard foraging for its favorite prey, snails. They will actually walk on the bottom of the stream, and tongue flick under water while overturning leaves and stones to locate their prey. Once a snail is found, it is grasped and brought to the surface. When the Caiman Lizard's head is above water, it tilts its head up so the snail will roll to the rear of the jaw, where it is crushed and swallowed. Caiman Lizards possess unique large, flattened molars, an adaptation that allows them to prey almost exclusively on snails and other mollusks.

Many large branches should be provided in captivity for the lizards to climb on, as well as a hollow log or similar shelter. I provide UltraViolet light all day and keep the basking area at approximately ninety degrees Farenheit. The lizards spend the majority of the day basking and tend to swim to cool off or look for food. They generally sleep on land, then pile on top of each other in the morning to warm up.

There is another species of Dracaena, D. paraguayensis, but little is written about it and I know even less, so I limited my article to D. guianensis, the species I keep and have read about. The Caiman Lizard is one of the most rewarding lizards I have kept. They are big, colorful, and do not try to eat your hand every chance they get! They can be messy and they are great at clogging a siphon hose with snail shells, but they are worth the effort. Hopefully, those that are in captivity in zoos and private collections can be bred and more herpers can experience these terrific teiids.