The term "caiman" refers to a genus of crocodiles, specifically those that belong to the alligator family, caimans are also known as alligators.
There are different species of alligators, among which the most abundant is the black alligator, also known as the Paraguayan alligator. As a whole, alligators are distributed in the subtropical and tropical regions of America, covering a distribution area that goes from Mexico to southern South America.
If you are curious about this reptile, in this article on our site we will discover which is the largest alligator in the world.
What is the largest alligator in the world?
An alligator caught in Texas whose length was 4 meters and 47 centimeters was until mid-August 2014 the largest alligator in the world, but later, that record was held by another specimen.
On the date we have indicated, the Stokes family, coming from the United States, which had obtained a permit to hunt alligators legally, found a huge specimen in the Alabama River, west of Montgomery.
After a battle lasting approximately 5 hours they managed to hunt down a specimen whose weight was 454 kilos and its length was 4 meters and 80 centimeters(33 centimeters more compared to the Texas alligator).
The dimensions of this alligator were such that in the first weighing attempt it destroyed the crane used by the biologists and later a backhoe had to be used.
Currently this specimen bears the worldwide brand of the important American entity Safari Club International.
The alligator, a reptile in danger of extinction
Unfortunately for decades the alligator was hunted extensively and intensely mainly for its leather, for this reason today the different species of alligator are universally protected, however, greater severity is necessary in the protection of this animal and in the penalization of illegal activities.
The alligator is one of the protected species of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and Fortunately, its high reproductive frequency has allowed the populations to partially recover.
Unfortunately the specimen we have been talking about in this article was dissected after its hunting, an activity that we cannot understand and much less support in any way.
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