noun

• A semiaquatic reptile similar to the alligator but with a heavily armored belly, native to tropical America.

  Caiman and other genera, family Alligatoridae: three species, in particular the spectacled caiman (C. sclerops)

  ‘A crocodilian is any member of an order of reptiles that includes crocodiles, alligators, caimans, gavials, and related extinct forms.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The zoo here is now playing host to a pair each of seamy crocodiles, alligators and caimans, giving the city dwellers a glimpse of some rare species.’
  • ‘The continental record in South America, where caimans spent much of their history, is sporadic.’
  • ‘In fact, there are 23 species of alligators, crocodiles, and their kin, the caiman and gharials, and they are collectively all known as crocodilians.’
  • ‘Jaguars may have been their most important predators, but some are probably killed by anacondas and caimans.’