page_title: Rupununi
section_title: Reptiles
hierarchical_section_title: Rupununi / Animal life / Reptiles
caption_attribution_description: © Leonardo C. Fleck (leonardofleck@yahoo.com.br)
context_page_description: The Rupununi is a region in the south-west of Guyana, bordering the Brazilian Amazon. The Rupununi river, also known by the local indigenous peoples as Raponani, flows through the Rupununi region. The name Rupununi originates from the word rapon in the Makushi language, in which it means the black-bellied whistling duck found along the river.
context_section_description: Reptiles thrive in the Rupununi river, preying off of small fish and crustaceans. In another study conducted by the BAT (South Rupununi Biodiversity Assessment Team), it was discovered that 34 different species of reptiles were living along the river. The black caiman is the largest predator in the Rupununi, measuring up to 5 meters in length, however it has become endangered due to hunting for their belly skins throughout the 1930s - 1970s.
  Notable species include:
  Black caiman (Melanosuchus niger)
  Emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus)
  Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
  Red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria)
  Neotropical rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus)
  Giant River Turtle (Podocnemis expansa)
caption: A swimming black caiman.
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