found: Ojasti, J. Wildlife utilization in Latin American, 1996, via WWW, Apr. 27, 2006:3.3 Caimans (Commercial hunting for spectacled caiman skins began on an intensive scale in the 1950s. This is currently the only crocodilian that can be harvested in tropical America. To remove the skin the animal is split down the back with a machete or chainsaw so as to preserve the flanks and belly. With medium-sized animals measuring 3-5 feet (91-152 cm), the entire body is used ("coverall" or mantle type). Only the soft leather of the flanks from the throat to the vent (jacket or belt type) is used in the case of the highly ossified big males. The hide is preserved salted and semi-dried and the meat is usually discarded. The commercial value of a legal-size, raw caiman hide at producer level in Venezuela in 1988 was approximately US $50. These prices make caiman harvesting very profitable. Desiccated hatchlings and young are often sold as tourist souvenirs ... Hunters, traders and tanners have all eluded both size and bag limits for lack of supervision, and so most countries in the area have opted for a total ban as an emergency measure.)
