Any differences are pointed out in the appropriate section, and there is a short description of the most commonly kept species. The art of keeping crocodilians in captivity is a relatively new one, so many owners are literally learning as they go along. I hope that this document helps to speed up the learning process. A caiman is the common name for one of several species of crocodilians closely related to alligators. Caimans, like the alligators, are characterised by having a broad snout and upper jaws that normally overlap their lower jaws, hence hiding their lower teeth which fit into depressions in the upper jaw.
Caimans are powerful reptiles with a keen bite and often a mean disposition.
It is often said that alligators and caimans are generally more placid than true crocodiles. This may be true in a few cases, but in fact disposition varies greatly between individuals and species. All crocodilian species are capable of being highly aggressive, and a calm and docile crocodilian is quite rare. Overall there are six species of caimans, if you don't count the subspecies. They are all in the subfamily alligatorinae, although only three of them are in the genus Caiman.