Data from: Ecological and behavioral implications of multiple paternity in the Smooth-fronted caiman in French Guiana

The identification of genetic mating systems in a variety of species has
challenged the previous view on animal mating patterns over the past
decade, resulting in the identification of multiple paternity across all
vertebrate classes. In crocodylians, all species that have been
investigated demonstrate multiple paternity, which may represent the
ancestral state of the clade. The Smooth-fronted caiman, Paleosuchus
trigonatus, is one of the last species whose genetic mating system has yet
to be investigated. In this study, we analyzed genetic samples of the
smooth-fronted caiman in French Guiana, a secretive species that is
difficult to observe in the wild. Scute samples were taken from three
populations and five groups of neonates that hatched shortly before.
Microsatellite markers were used to infer the minimum number of fathers
that sired each clutch. Our results clearly show that multiple paternity
was common, with 60% of the sampled group of neonates showing a minimum of
two sires. The potential ecological and behavioral implications of this
finding are discussed, as well as recommendations for future research
avenues to elucidate this cryptic species’ mating behavior and
environmental constraints.