Caimans vs Crocodiles

Yesterday Des and I were walking on the beach in search of sea glass.  Along the way we came to an area where during the rainy season a stream flows onto the beach from the jungle.  This time of year it is dry.  A few days ago someone told me they had seen a crocodile in this area.  I suspected it was a caiman as I actually saw one myself in the same place about 4 years ago and have heard other similar sightings.  As I was telling Des what I had heard we stopped right were the stream usually flows and as I literally finished my sentence, she looked down and pointed out the tracks we were standing on.  From the claw marks in the sand and the trail of a tail.... it was pretty obvious it was something big.  Not sure if caiman or croc but definitely one or the other.

Our plan was to look for glass and then sit in one of the tide pools and let the dogs swim with us.  Change of plan - no tide pool and careful walk with watchful eyes for......whatever.

I just copied this info from the internet for those who may want to know the difference between a croc and a caiman: 

"Caimans belong to the same family as the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis); they're more distantly related to crocodiles, which belong to a separate family under the order Crocodylia.

The spectacled caiman is found throughout Central and South America, while the American alligator is confined to the southeastern portion of the United States. The other most noticeable difference is size, as male caimans rarely exceed 7 feet in length; alligators, by contrast, regularly grow to double that size. Other distinctions are more subtle, such as the caiman's slightly pointier head and shorter tail.

The easiest way for laypersons to differentiate caimans and alligators from crocodiles is to examine snout shape. Crocodiles tend to have V-shaped noses, while those of caimans and alligators are more rounded and resemble U's. Also, the upper and lower jaws on crocodiles are of approximately equal length, so the razor-sharp fourth tooth on the lower jaw usually juts out menacingly. The upper jaws on caimans and alligators are oversized, so their bottom teeth get covered up when their mouths are closed."

So there you go!

Does anyone see a "camel" in any of these photos :)

Pura Vida