Technology

It's not an alligator or a crocodile. But this invasive predator is moving into their territory in South Florida

Marcus Chen
Marcus Chen
Managing Editor · Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 6:03 PM
It's not an alligator or a crocodile. But this invasive predator is moving into their territory in South Florida — CBS Miami, Pembroke Pines Technology news
Image: CBS Miami

For decades, South Florida's waterways have been home to two native giants: alligators and crocodiles. But a third large reptile has quietly been moving in, and researchers say it's spreading into more corners of the Everglades.Invasive spectacled caimans are becoming increasingly widespread across South Florida, expanding beyond canals and developed areas into natural habitats where they could compete with native alligators and crocodiles, according to a recent University of Florida study.Researchers who reviewed more than four decades of data on the species found that spectacled caimans, which are native to Central and South America, have steadily spread across South Florida since becoming established in the wild in the late 1970s. The reptiles have now been documented from Miami-Dade County north to Port St. Lucie, with recent observations placing them in marshes and sloughs within or near Everglades National Park.The study, titled "The invasive spectacled caiman in Florida, United

Source: CBS Miami

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