Caiman Or Alligator Skin?

[heavelycat]

Hi, i need help to confirm that this is caiman skin, not alligator. I confronted the seller, but he dishonestly denied that this is caiman.

I also brought it to 2 leather workers, was told by them that they are caiman, not alligator. I was told by the experts to visit this forum for help identifying.

[camano ridge]

It is difficult to tell you 100% just by looking at a picture with out being able to feel the leather and see the thickness. However I would ! am about 90% sure it is Caiman. I have some Caiman down in the shop I will post pictures of in a little bit. The Caiman I have looks pretty close to what you have pictured. I do not have any alligator back or tail right now just gator belly and Croc, so I can't take a picture for comparison. If you Go on line to Mark Staton Company or Rojes Leather you may find som pictures of Alligator back. Be aware it is not uncommon to have Caiman refered to as South American Alligator.

[camano ridge]

Here is some information that may help you.

The biggest difference between Caiman and Alligator or Crocodile leather is that the Caiman leather is not near as durable. A Caiman fuscus crocodile have small bony plates – if you bend the leather across these plates you will see that the leather creases between the scales. While the skin is still pliable and very strong, these thick scales are the telltale signs that you have Caiman leather. A proper Alligator or Crocodile hide will not have these bony scales. A saltwater crocodile (such as the Nile Crocodile) and the American Alligator skins will have smoother, seamless bend without any spaces between the scales.

o Caiman crocodile is an easy one to spot because it has noticeably different tiles. The skin is characterized by pock marks on the tiles and the tiles tend to be concave in shape. Also, the skin is drier and not as soft as the above two. While you may have to look for telltale signs like ISO pores or umbillicus or overall patterning, etc to differentiate between Alligator and Croc, Caiman sticks out like a sore thumb.

- Caimans don't get as big as alligator or crocodile either, so often times you'll be looking at tiles that are about half an inch in width vs alligator or croc, depending on when the animal was harvested in its stage of growth can have tiles from half an inch in width all the way up to two inches in width.

You might ask the seller who his source is and where they are located. You may be able to get documentation for verification through his source. Most American Alligator comes from the South Eastern United States.

[Matt T]

Sure looks like Caiman to me!

[The Flying Ostrich]

Caiman. Camano Ridge is dead on.

[AlbertaBoot]

That is Caiman 100%, I work with Caiman and Alligator daily and there is no doubt that is Caiman

[Guest Can caiman be molded ?]

On 1/15/2015 at 10:59 AM, heavelycat said:

Hi, i need help to confirm that this is caiman skin, not alligator. I confronted the seller, but he dishonestly denied that this is caiman.

I also brought it to 2 leather workers, was told by them that they are caiman, not alligator. I was told by the experts to visit this forum for help identifying.

 

[Northmount]

4 hours ago, Guest Can caiman be molded ? said:

 

You should join leatherworker.net so you can post easily, and not have to wait for a moderator to approve your post.  You didn't provide enough information for anyone to be able to help you.  Join and try again.

I see from your IP address you are likely from the Maryville, Tennessee, 37802