Conservation officials in Brazil have made an alarming discovery. Roughly eight tons of alligator meat - accounting for more than 700 animals - was found in local floating stores.

The animals were from the Piagacu-Purus nature reserve, recently designated as an area for sustainable development, and located near the city of Manaus. There have been reports from this area of larger alligator populations in recent years. There are also suggestions of an illicit commercial hunt for wealthy patrons. In fact, the region is infamous for poaching of alligators and other crocodilians.

To be more precise, true alligators are not found in South America. Instead, the term "alligator" is used for other members of the Family Alligatoridae - mainly species of caimans. In this region of the Amazon, indigenous species include the common (or spectacled) caiman, black caiman, broad-snouted caiman, and yacaré.

In the recent discovery, the animals had been skinned and salted in preparation for human consumption. Local delicacies include dishes prepared with caiman meat. Officials suspect that the likely targets were markets in nearby Para state.

Ironically, most alligators and crocodiles are illegally killed for their skins - but these animals were not intended for the same end, and their skins were probably dumped. Certain of the local species, including the spectacled caiman, have lower quality skins and only certain parts can be tanned for commercial use.

Like other crocodilians, caimans are slow-growing and long-lived animals. The largest of the Amazonian species can reach up to 4 metres, but most individuals are much smaller. Despite their ferocious reputations, caimans have complex social behaviour, including maternal care of young, creching, and even cooperative nesting. A fortunate preference for secluded breeding areas is part of the reason for rebounding numbers, as inaccessibility deters hunters.

The scale of the find suggests a well-organized and large poaching operation. Although local residents are allowed to hunt a minimal number of animals, this is at a subsistence level only. Selling caiman products is illegal. In the past, prior to hunting restrictions and CITES listings, hunters and poachers reduced many caiman populations to minimal levels.