Whale Caiman

Whale caiman is a species of caiman that is indigenous to the marshlands, swamps, subtropical rainforests, and tropical rainforests of South America. Despite being a crocodilian, it is a gentle giant filter-feeder that feeds only on plankton, crustaceans, and small fish, using its pelican-like throat pouch (large gular sac), even though they have rows of small, conical teeth numbering around 40 on each side of the upper and lower jaws, its teeth are only used like baleens of baleen whales. Whale caimans also probe the bottoms of lakes and rivers for food like shrimps and crawfish. It is also among the largest of the modern crocodilians, ranging from about 7 meters to about 13 meters in length and from about 5 tons to about 9 tons, depending on a species.