What's the difference between alligator and crocodile? / Spring Wisdom - Answering your watch questions

Q: What's the difference between an alligator and a crocodile?

Although they both belong to the reptile order Crocodilia, alligators and crocodiles belong to completely different families: Alligatoridae and Crocodylidae. We will introduce how to distinguish between the different types of leather.

A: They belong to a different family and are completely different creatures.

Alligator and crocodile are two materials that are often considered suitable for luxury watch straps, but the two are so similar that even those in the industry have difficulty telling the difference between them.

Although alligators and crocodiles belong to the same order Crocodilia, they are actually from completely different families, as different as the feline and canine families, both of which belong to the order Carnivora.

Previously, alligator leather was said to be harder than crocodile leather, but now it can be said that there is almost no difference. Generally, the flank part is used for shoes and wallets, the tail part for bags, and the neck part for wallets and watch straps. The Alligator and Crocodylidae families that are the source of leather are as follows:

Alligatoridae

American alligator: Expensive. Used for handbags and wallets. Also known as Mississippi alligator.
・Long-lipped caiman: soft material
Spectacled caiman: Expensive. The most commonly used alligator material.
Black caiman: The parts used for shoes, belts, wallets, etc. are expensive.
・Brazilian caiman: Uses flank
- Pygmy Caiman: Uses the flank

Mississippi alligator, which is often used for watch straps, is another name for the American alligator.

クロコダイル科

・Australian crocodile: Uses the protruding back
・Nile crocodile: Expensive. Used in folk crafts
・Dwarf crocodile: Used in folk crafts
・New Guinea crocodile: Expensive
・Guatemalan crocodile: Expensive
・Saltwater crocodile: The highest quality crocodile leather. Also known as porosus crocodile. The protruding back is also used.
Siamese Crocodile: Expensive. Uses a protruding back.
・Fake Gavial: Use the protruding back

The saltwater crocodile, or porosus crocodile, is said to be the highest quality crocodile.

How to distinguish between crocodile and alligator leather

The main way to distinguish alligator from crocodile is the presence or absence of "perforations." Generally, crocodile skin has one to a maximum of four holes in its skin. However, depending on the tanning method and the thickness of the lacquer applied to the surface, some leathers have no visible perforations. However, it can be said that there is no clear superiority or inferiority between alligator and crocodile as materials.