The smooth-fronted caimans are two species with similar habits. Both are small, prefering streams and small rivers. They spend the day in burrows, venturing out at night to hunt. These caimans are more terrestrial than most, often hunting on land. They can be found in most of the jungle area of South America.
These little crocodilians have little contact with man. Their skin is worthless for leather and they are too small to pose a threat to people or livestock. Some of these reptiles are collected for the pet trade, but this does not seem to be impacting their populations.
Most adult smooth-fronted caimans are Diminutive or Tiny. Paleosuchus trigonatus males can become Small. Smooth-fronted caimans are more heavily armored than most crocodilians due to heavy growths of bone under their scales.