Before ancient cultures used their feathers as a statement of nobility and fashion, the ostriches existed millions of years ago in southern Eurasia. Today, they are native to South Africa. Their 100 year successful product exports to the fashion industry led to commercial ostrich farms elsewhere but switched from fashion to such products as leather, eggshell ornaments, containers and meat similar to beef but lower in fat, calories, and sodium than beef, emu, chicken, or turkey.