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# caiman

noun (a caiman, caimans)

«caiman» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A caiman is a reptile of the alligator family that lives in the rivers, lakes and swamps of Central and South America. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/caiman/#m1)
2. Caimans have long jaws, tough scaly skin and are usually smaller than alligators and crocodiles, although the black caiman can grow very large. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/caiman/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science and geography lessons caimans come up in Amazon rainforest and wetland habitats and food chains: they eat fish, birds and small mammals, and are hunted by jaguars and anacondas. Pupils compare crocodiles, alligators and caimans: caimans have a bony ridge between their eyes, like the frame of glasses (the spectacled caiman).

### Examples

- A caiman floated in the river with only its eyes showing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/caiman/#x1)
- Caimans live in South America. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/caiman/#x2)
- The jaguar caught a caiman on the riverbank. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/caiman/#x3)
- The spectacled caiman has a ridge between its eyes like glasses. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/caiman/#x4)
- A caiman is a relative of the alligator. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/caiman/#x5)
- Caimans lay their eggs in nests of leaves. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/caiman/#x6)
- The black caiman is the biggest caiman. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/caiman/#x7)

### Note

Plural «caimans». Also spelt «cayman», as in the Cayman Islands. Say «KAY-mun». Crocodiles, alligators and caimans are related but different reptiles.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «caiman» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/caiman/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«caiman» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/caiman.html) on Mova free.