The yacare caiman is ecologically similar to the spectacled caiman. It has osteoderms on its scales, a feature also present in the spectacled caiman. They coexist with the smaller spectacled caiman within Central America. Usually hunting at night, the diet of the spectacled caiman varies seasonally. The spectacled caiman is a small to medium-sized crocodilian. When he was 15, he also owned young spectacled caiman. Spectacled caiman are present further up river and within Laguna Corcovado in larger numbers. The spectacled caiman has the largest range of any caiman and any New World crocodilian. Amongst the reptiles, the spectacled caiman is the largest, sometimes growing up to 3m. The spectacled caiman was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, originally as "Lacerta crocodilus". The spectacled caiman matures earlier, reaching its mature length of in four to seven years.