Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
Ostrich leather is unmistakable in its appearance; No other material looks similar to it. It is characterized by raised points that are localized to the center of the hide. The portion with these bumps is called the crown. It's actually the back of the ostrich where the animal's neck meets its body. The bumps are quill follicles where a feather used to reside. On the left and right side of the diamond shaped crown the skin is quite smooth. In fact, only about 1/3 of the whole skin has quill bumps. Since the crown is the most sought after portion and since it constitutes such a small area of the skin, "full quill" ostrich products are considerably expensive when compared to bovine leather. This, along with the fact that it is one of the strongest commercial leathers, leads ostrich leather to be seen as a luxury item.
The ostrich is a large flightless bird native to Africa (and formerly the Middle East). It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at speeds of about 74 km/h, the top land speed of any bird. The ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any bird species.
