Also called: Cuvier’s smooth-fronted caiman or dwarf caiman (Show more) Cuvier’s dwarf caiman, (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), small caiman species known for being the most diminutive living member of the alligator family (Alligatoridae) and the smallest crocodilian in the Americas. This caiman is found throughout the Amazon and Orinoco river basins in wet areas ranging from rivers to temporary pools in grassland habitats, from eastern Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia eastward to Brazil’s Atlantic coast and from northern Paraguay and Bolivia northward to Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. The species is named after French zoologist Georges Cuvier, who first described it in 1807. As crocodilians go, Cuvier’s dwarf caimans are tiny. Adult males ...(100 of 743 words) Access the full article Help support true facts by becoming a member. Subscribe today!