A baby Caiman takes a peak at the photographer from the safety of her mother's back in the Indio Maiz Reserve, southeastern Nicaragua. I'm partial to crocodiles, but a caiman will do in a pinch; or in this case, a family of caimans. Photographed here on the cusp of Nicaragua's diminishing primary forest, a mother caiman displays the unique and significant maternal care that has helped this species thrive on our planet for nearly 200 million years. These guys (or creatures very much like them) saw the dinosaurs; now, their habitat is under siege, and they might not see the next two centuries. Habitat destruction is not the only encroaching danger; since the gender of Crocodilia is determined by nest temperature, rising global temperatures may soon spell the end of the male crocodile, and the species could blink out of existence before our eyes. If you want to help prevent the disappearance of this species, reach out to organizations like The Croc Docs in Florida, the Nature Conservancy, the NRDC, and Sierra Club. If you are worried about these little guys in particular, the Fundación del Rio in Nicaragua is doing its best to slow the illegal deforestation of the Indio Maiz, and preserve the home of little critters like these. Choose your own adventure / Preserve the world.