BIO 203- What is taxidermy
Taxidermy is a way of preparing, stuffing and/or mounting an animal for display or study.
Taxidermy is the craft of preparing the skins of dead animals and birds and filling them with
a special material to make them look as if they are alive. It usually involves arranging an
animal's real skin over a fake body to make the animal look alive! It is a way of preserving
the body so that scientists or Museum visitors can see what the animal was like when it was
alive.
The work of a taxidermist involves creating a replication of a lifelike three-dimensional
animal for display and preservation purposes [source: Taxidermy]. This complex practice
incorporates carpentry, woodwork, tanning, molding and casting. It's both a science and an
art form: All of the animals' organs and tissues must be painted, drawn or sculpted with man-
made materials. The taxidermist can preserve fur, feathers, antlers and scales for use in the
figures, but nothing else can stay. Eyes are usually made from glass, eyelids are molded from
clay, noses and mouths are made more lifelike with wax, and the mannequin frame is built
with polyurethane foam.
Part of taxidermy is the preservation of dry specimen which could be aquatic species like
crabs, lobsters, prawn, and shrimps, or terrestrial species like snakes, giant rats or even
insects
In the case of wet preservation, it deals with large animals like snake, lizards, rat etc. This is
done by injecting the animals with 10-15 mlof formalin, and then soaked them in 70%
forming, which must be changed every two to three years.
Process and method of Animal Taxidermy
Specimen is collected live or dead. When the animals are collected alive, they must be killed
humanely, this is done through the use of chloroform, which is soaked into small cotton wool
and put inside a killing jar. The animal is then laced inside the killing jar for 10-15 minutes
until it dies. This is called Euthanizing. Specimens should be euthanized in a way that will
leave them undamaged and relaxed, and follows best practices set forth by the Institutional
Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). This is an international procedure and regulation.
Animals should not be killed painfully just because a practical is to be conducted. Before
, killing the animals, the following characteristics must be taken and recorded-colour of the
feather, feet, beak, eye or iris and other exposed parts.
It is also important to note the following
Name of the specimen
Place of collection
Date of collection
Purpose of preparation
Sex of the specimen
Tools
Knife
Measuring tape or ruler
Pair of scissors
Forceps
Brain spoon
Wires
Spring balance or weighing balance
Pliers
Cotton wool
Dusting powder
Formalin syringe and needle
sewing needle
naphthalene balls
mounting board
Preparation for skinning
Care must be taken to gently remove the skin. The table surface must be clean and dry. This
helps to protect the specimens
Skinning processes
Taxidermy is a way of preparing, stuffing and/or mounting an animal for display or study.
Taxidermy is the craft of preparing the skins of dead animals and birds and filling them with
a special material to make them look as if they are alive. It usually involves arranging an
animal's real skin over a fake body to make the animal look alive! It is a way of preserving
the body so that scientists or Museum visitors can see what the animal was like when it was
alive.
The work of a taxidermist involves creating a replication of a lifelike three-dimensional
animal for display and preservation purposes [source: Taxidermy]. This complex practice
incorporates carpentry, woodwork, tanning, molding and casting. It's both a science and an
art form: All of the animals' organs and tissues must be painted, drawn or sculpted with man-
made materials. The taxidermist can preserve fur, feathers, antlers and scales for use in the
figures, but nothing else can stay. Eyes are usually made from glass, eyelids are molded from
clay, noses and mouths are made more lifelike with wax, and the mannequin frame is built
with polyurethane foam.
Part of taxidermy is the preservation of dry specimen which could be aquatic species like
crabs, lobsters, prawn, and shrimps, or terrestrial species like snakes, giant rats or even
insects
In the case of wet preservation, it deals with large animals like snake, lizards, rat etc. This is
done by injecting the animals with 10-15 mlof formalin, and then soaked them in 70%
forming, which must be changed every two to three years.
Process and method of Animal Taxidermy
Specimen is collected live or dead. When the animals are collected alive, they must be killed
humanely, this is done through the use of chloroform, which is soaked into small cotton wool
and put inside a killing jar. The animal is then laced inside the killing jar for 10-15 minutes
until it dies. This is called Euthanizing. Specimens should be euthanized in a way that will
leave them undamaged and relaxed, and follows best practices set forth by the Institutional
Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). This is an international procedure and regulation.
Animals should not be killed painfully just because a practical is to be conducted. Before
, killing the animals, the following characteristics must be taken and recorded-colour of the
feather, feet, beak, eye or iris and other exposed parts.
It is also important to note the following
Name of the specimen
Place of collection
Date of collection
Purpose of preparation
Sex of the specimen
Tools
Knife
Measuring tape or ruler
Pair of scissors
Forceps
Brain spoon
Wires
Spring balance or weighing balance
Pliers
Cotton wool
Dusting powder
Formalin syringe and needle
sewing needle
naphthalene balls
mounting board
Preparation for skinning
Care must be taken to gently remove the skin. The table surface must be clean and dry. This
helps to protect the specimens
Skinning processes
