Add spectacled caiman to this list of invasive species in Florida along with lionfish, Burmese pythons, and Cuban tree frogs. Actually, spectacled caimans have been reported in Florida as early as the 1950s. They have impacted the biodiversity of native wildlife in some of the most sensitive areas of the Florida Everglades. However, a University of Florida study in collaboration with state and federal wildlife agencies, is revealing how a succession of strategies can take control of an invasive species population.
What are spectacled caiman?
The spectacled caiman is a species native to Central and South America. They have has been established in Florida since the 1970s. The pet trade and crocodilian farming industries, escapes and deliberate releases made it possible for caimans to invade the Florida Everglades. Along with preying on birds and small mammals, they also compete for food and resources alongside Florida’s native alligators and crocodiles.
In a new University of Florida study, wildlife biologists at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) reveal how a series of efforts and strategies led to successful control and removal of caimans in specific areas of the Everglades.
The study shows that persistent removal and early detection are key when removing invasive species.
“Managing invasive wildlife will not be an in-and-out process, where we go in and remove wildlife and then think we are done,” said Frank Mazzotti. He’s a UF/IFAS professor of wildlife ecology at FLREC and principal investigator for the caiman removal project. “Even with early detection and rapid response, long-term removal efforts and multi-agency cooperation — bolstered by continued monitoring — will be key to success.”
Clearing out Biscayne Bay
A critical outcome of the team’s efforts was successfully reducing caimans in the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands and C-111 Canal Project areas. These are important arteries in South Florida’s water management infrastructure. They’re designed to improve freshwater flow to Everglades National Park, Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay.
For the study, the team compiled data for 10 years, from 2012 through 2021 of the project’s removal efforts. Strategies included:
- Conducting weekly surveys
- Rapid responses for removal of reported caiman sightings
- Performing necropsies of captured caimans
The team also conducted targeted, on-foot surveys of possible caiman habitats that may have been overlooked around their search routes to remove as many caimans as possible.
The team removed 251 caimans during the 10-year period. The rate of caiman removals per year increased from five in 2012 to a peak of 47 in 2020. They learned more about caiman nesting and hatching dates from necropsies. This increased their removals by providing information on when and where to target the removal of reproducing and hatchling caimans.
The next steps for the team’s removal project include developing and using new tools. Things like using thermal imaging cameras to find caiman nests. They also plan to publish dietary and genetic information about the caiman to increase public awareness of their impact on native wildlife and their origins.
Click here to read more about the project.
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