Alligator Boots Information
About Cowboy/Western Boots
Cowboy boots refer to a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a high heel, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no lacing. Cowboy boots are normally made from cowhide leather but are also sometimes made from "exotic" skins such as alligator, snake, ostrich, lizard, eel, elephant, sting ray, elk, buffalo, and more.
There are two basic styles of cowboy boots, western (or classic), and roper. The western style is distinguished by a tall boot shaft, going to at least mid-calf, with an angled "cowboy" heel, usually over one inch high. A slightly lower, still angled, "walking" heel is also common. Although western boots can be customized with a wide variety of toe shapes, the classic design is a narrowed, usually pointed, toe.
A newer design, the "roper" style, has a short boot shaft that stops above the ankle but before the middle of the calf, with a very low and squared-off "roper" heel, shaped to the sole of the boot, usually less than one inch high. Roper boots are usually made with rounded toes, but, correlating with style changes in streetwear, styles with a squared toe are seen.
About Alligator Skin/Leather
Alligators are native to only two countries - the United States and China. They are an extremely old reptile species with a unique and ridgelike skin. The single most identifible characteristic of alligator leather is the umbilical scar on the belly. In addition look for the head bump pattern of 2-2-2 bumps. Caiman have a pattern of 4-4-2, and crocodiles have 4-2. Pliability and durability are what makes the alligator a classically superior leather. Alligator and crocodile leathers are pliable, while caiman have bony plates in the skin, which dramatically decreases the pliability of the leather. The alligator has a slightly less even scale pattern than the crocodile with some irregularities present. The most distinguishing feature of crocodile leather is the integumentary sensory organ pore, which is visible upon close inspection. The flanks of the alligator have dense scales of even sizes compared to the caiman.
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