First record of twin hatchlings in Caiman latirostris (Daudin, 1802) in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Authors

  • Rafael Sá Leitão Barboza Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Biodiversity Graduate Program, Laboratório de Etologia Animal; Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Biology Department, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Anfíbios e Répteis - LIAR https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4421-6068
  • Mayara Gabrielly Negromonte da Silva Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Biology Department, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Anfíbios e Répteis - LIAR https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9419-4146
  • Carlos Fernando Rodrigues de Souza Neto Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Biology Department, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Anfíbios e Répteis - LIAR https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4828-7680
  • Paulo Braga Mascarenhas-Junior Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Biology Department, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Anfíbios e Répteis - LIAR; Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE, in Animal Biology Graduate Program, Laboratório de Herpetologia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1292-9904
  • Malu Monteiro Caminha Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Biology Department, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Anfíbios e Répteis - LIAR https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0774-8295
  • Ednilza Maranhão dos Santos Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Biology Department, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Anfíbios e Répteis - LIAR https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9214-1131
  • Jozelia Maria de Sousa Correia Federal Rural University of Pernambuco - UFRPE, Biology Department, Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Anfíbios e Répteis - LIAR https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0320-4490

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24221/jeap.10.3.2025.6916.176-180

Keywords:

Broad-snouted caiman, Nest, Crocodilians

Abstract

Embryo twinning is quite common in reptiles, possibly due to atypical incubation conditions, although few specimens hatch and reach adulthood, especially in the wild. In crocodilians, eggs with double yolk or monozygotic twins are usually produced by young females and laid at the beginning or end of oviposition. This phenomenon mostly happened in the Crocodylidae and Alligatoridae families, with double yolk and Siamese twins. This scientific note aimed to report the first record of twinning caimans in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest from a Caiman latirostris clutch, found during the 2021 nesting season in Tapacurá Ecological Station, hatched on May 6th. Both twins were healthy and without deformities, just slightly lighter and smaller than the average of the nest, which may compromise their survival until sexual maturity, since bigger hatchlings tend to have a higher survival rate than smaller ones, even considering that nesting females react more to the vocalization of smaller specimens.

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References

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Published

2025-09-18

How to Cite

Barboza, R. S. L., Silva, M. G. N. da, Souza Neto, C. F. R. de, Mascarenhas-Junior, P. B., Caminha, M. M., Santos , E. M. dos, & Correia, J. M. de S. (2025). First record of twin hatchlings in Caiman latirostris (Daudin, 1802) in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Journal of Environmental Analysis and Progress, 10(3), 176–180. https://doi.org/10.24221/jeap.10.3.2025.6916.176-180

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 3 (2025): Journal of Environmental Analysis and Progress

Section

Scientific Note - Nota Científica

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Rafael Sá Leitão Barboza, Mayara Gabrielly Negromonte da Silva, Carlos Fernando Rodrigues de Souza Neto, Paulo Braga Mascarenhas-Junior, Malu Monteiro Caminha, Ednilza Maranhão dos Santos , Jozelia Maria de Sousa Correia

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