The Cuvier’s dwarf caimans arrived at the award-winning aquarium last month from London Zoo as part of a brand new Amazon-themed freshwater feature.
The crocodiles, a male and a female, had to be transported in specially-designed containers which protected keepers from their fearsome jaws.
According to their keepers at London Zoo, the pair has already shown signs of mating so aquarists have created a suitable habitat to allow them to breed in the future.
“Ideally we’d like the name to reflect the fact that the caimans are a pair and that they are the smallest members of the crocodile family,” said Blue Reef’s Christine Comery.
“There have already been a few suggestions from team members but we’re hoping our visitors will provide us with some better alternatives,” she added.
The Cuvier’s dwarf caiman is the smallest surviving member of the crocodilian family found in the Americas. Fully grown adult males reach up to 1.6 metres in length.
The ‘name the caimans’ competition will be running until the end of May and visitors will be able to post their entries into a special ‘crocbox’ alongside the aquarium’s new display.
A team of judges from the aquarium’s zoological team will choose a winner and, as well as having the honour of naming their very own crocodiles, they will also win a year’s family pass to the aquarium.
‘Mini-Crocs’ recreates the South American miniature crocodiles’ flooded forest habitat and includes a central island decorated with real trees donated from a local farmer and the National Trust and living plants donated by the Eden Project.
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