Hides from around 50 animal species are used to make leather. Most of these are waste products from the food industry, i.e. from animals that we eat or keep for their wool or milk. These are mainly cattle, sheep, goats or pigs. Leather that comes from other animal species is often referred to as exotic leather.
In particular, leather from animal species that are protected by the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is referred to as exotic leather. However, the term exotic leather is also used for all leather from animal species that are relatively rare, or leather made from parts of the skin of animals that are rarely processed into leather. Exotic leathers are usually associated with the skin of crocodiles or snakes processed into leather. However, many fish leathers are also exotic.