whats the smallest species of croc/alligator and can you keep them in an aquarium if you supply land?
by Aquaboy on Friday, January 29th, 2010 | 4 Comments
i’m not actually going to do this
That would be any of the caiman species from Central and South America. Those are the ones you find in pets stores. The other is the Chinese Alligator, but they are endangered and practically impossible to get. Either way, any species will outgrow an aquarium regardless of the size.
This site has quite a bit of info about species in captivity, care, legalities, and so on.
http://www.crocodilian.com/crocfaq/faq-2.html
You can keep ANY crocodilian in an aquarium-
If the aquarium is BIG enough.
The Cuvier’s dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palebrosus) is the smallest crocodilian in the world. Females get 3 1/2 feet long, and males get up to 5 feet. You would need a really big aquarium, but it woldn’t be practical, so my answer is no. Maybe with a female, but a pond or pen is ,much better for them. Dwarf caimans almost never bask, so land is not really necessary. I had one for 5 years and it never basked ever. And as for dwarf alligators as someone else mentioned, there’s no such thing.
dwarf caimans and no you owuld need at least a bathtub they get up to 4 – 5 feeeet