In 2004, one of the world’s last bands of voluntarily isolated nomads left behind their ancestral life in the dwindling thorn forests of northern Paraguay, fleeing ranchers’ bulldozers. Behold the Black Caiman is Lucas Bessire’s intimate chronicle of the journey of this small group of Ayoreo people, the terrifying new world they now face, and the precarious lives they are piecing together against the backdrop of soul-collecting missionaries, humanitarian NGOs, late liberal economic policies, and the highest deforestation rate in the world. Drawing on ten years of fieldwork, Bessire highlights the stark disconnect between the desperate conditions of Ayoreo life for those out of the forest and the well-funded global efforts to preserve those Ayoreo still living in it. By showing how this disconnect reverberates within Ayoreo bodies and minds, his reflexive account takes aim at the devastating consequences of our society’s continued obsession with the primitive and raises important questions about anthropology’s potent capacity to further or impede indigenous struggles for sovereignty. The result is a timely update to the classic literary ethnographies of South America, a sustained critique of the so-called ontological turn—one of anthropology’s hottest trends—and, above all, an urgent call for scholars and activists alike to rethink their notions of difference.

Presents information about the black caiman, including physical characteristics, its everyday life, and its hunting abilities.

"Behold the Black Caiman "by anthropologist Lucas Bessire is a haunting ethnography based on a decade of fieldwork among a group of Ayoreo-speaking tribes in the Gran Chaco, the largest forested area in South America after the Amazon. Bessire shows that, far from being untouched noble savages, most of the Ayoreo tribes are struggling to survive on the margins of industrialized society as cattle ranches encroach on the dense wilderness that they once called home. As one of the poorest and most marginalized indigenous groups in the region, the Ayoreo endure unfathomable levels of violence and discrimination. Faced with such brutality, the Ayoreo believe that survival within modernity requires a radical transformation, including the abandonment of nearly all of the practices that count as authorized native culture in Latin America. Bessire argues that their attitude is not evidence of contamination or loss--as many anthropologists, NGOs, and state representatives would have it--but is rather a profound moral response to their desperate situation. The book thus aims to revise the anthropology and history of Ayoreo-speaking people, and indigenous people in general, who have long been seen as the ultimate primitives outside the State, market, and history. Written in the tradition of classic texts such as"Chronicle of the Guayaki Indians"and"Tristes Tropiques," the book tells a tragic story of catastrophic violence that is urgently relevant to identity politics both within Latin America and beyond."

Do you know the difference between alligators and crocodiles...? Learn the latest facts about the world’s largest reptiles from beloved science writer for kids Gail Gibbons. This updated edition vetted by an expert introduces young readers to everything they would want to know about the closest living relatives of dinosaurs, alligators and crocodiles. With kid-friendly text and diagrams, Gibbons compares the two reptiles--their physical differences, what they eat, where they are found, how fast they swim, how they raise their young, and more. Kids will want to read this book again and again to learn all about these crocodilians that have been around for millions of years. A great read-aloud for the child who loves the reptile house at the zoo or nonfiction resource for older children. Includes extra facts about alligators and crocodiles in the back!

This Action Plan describes the conservation status of 23 species of the order Crocodylia found worldwide. The plan is arranged in three principal sections: an Introductory overview, Country accounts, and Species accounts. Each Country account describes the status of wild populations, and current management programmes. The Species accounts summarise the conservation status, principle threats, and existing management programmes and then describe the ecology and natural history of the species and set out recommended priority conservation projects.

The unforgettable story of a man and his alligator. When Faoro the clockmaker adopts a baby alligator, he has no idea that someday their story will travel far and wide. But the town of San Fernando de Apure would never forget this kind young man and his adoring alligator, who played with the neighborhood children, took part in Faoro's wedding, and, eventually, mourned his loss. Now their story is being shared with the world. In this delightful picture book first published in Venezuela, the author brings us back to her own childhood in Venezuela, as one of the children who used to visit this famous caiman, to tell the story of a man who loved animals and how his friendship with his alligator sparked a lasting legacy.

"Developed by literacy experts for students in kindergarten through grade three, this book introduces alligators to young readers through leveled text and related photos"--Provided by publisher.