Primarily, the species inhabits freshwater wetlands, including floodplains, marshes, swamps, and some mangrove forests, as well as various streams, rivers, lakes or ponds, preferring bodies of rather still or slower-moving water.

An increased heart rate helps the newly absorbed heat transfer throughout the body more quickly.

[13] Young caimans rely heavily on their ability to find shelter to avoid predation.

[14] Upon hatching, the diet of the broad-nosed caiman consists mainly of small invertebrates it can find, such as beetles or arachnids.

[12][14][15] Captive specimens have been documented (and photographed) devouring the cone-shaped, mildly sweet fruits of 'split-leaf philodendron' (reclassified as Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum) without external stimulation, though it is unclear if this is because of them being housed with omnivorous reptiles, such as tegu, or a genuinely natural curiosity or feeding behaviour.

[16] A later study also concluded that C. latirostris and its relatives are obligate omnivores, and indeed play an important role in the dispersal of plant seeds in their habitats.

[6] The caiman does not have sex chromosomes, but instead depends on temperature to determine the ratio of male and female offspring.

[19] Larger-scale hunting of C. latirostris began in the 1940s, as the species' skin was greatly valued for leather production, with its smoother texture compared to other crocodilians.