Taxidermy
Art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting skins of animals
History of Taxidermy
- Taxidermy was believed to go back to the beginning of mankind.
- This form of art became popular in the Victorian era
- The reason taxidermy became so popular was because there was a high demand for leather and men wanted trophies for their kills.
Tools and Supplies
To perform taxidermy you need;
- Safety glasses to protect against solutions
- Rubber aprons and latex gloves
- Scissors, scalpels, exacto blades, and sharpened spoons to remove varies types of flesh and skin hanging or hiding to the body.
- Sharpened spoons are mainly used to prepare the animals skin for the tanning process.
- Needle, threads, and glue to start putting all parts in its place again.
- Brushes, toothbrushes, and combs to retain the animals full appearance once more.
- Painting kits to restore animals once full lively colors. (This is mostly used for fish)
Maintenance
Skull cleaning
- Rubbing alcohol, acetone, And some detergents can cause yellowing, chipping, or stripping of the skulls. NEVER use these.
- Skull mounts are the easiest to maintain
Insect infestations
- Cockroaches can and will eat everything of anything in your animal/trophy
- Moths and some beetles will infest hair and fur or your animal
- Keep your trophy in cool, dry places to maintain and preserve the hair and color of animal.
- Give animals frequent dusting.
- Do not have excessive handling of your trophy because it could make your trophy look dirty.
Fun Facts
- Pierre Belon was a naturalist who wrote a book in 1555 about taxidermy.
- Abby Lee Miller from Dance Moms had her dog stuffed.
- There are taxidermy competitions and the first one was in the 1800's
- The word taxidermy comes from the Greek virgin meaning arrangement of the skin.
- Taxidermy is noted as an art form today.
- Taxidermist must have the knowledge of zoology, botany, drawing, painting, and sculpture.
- Taxidermy can be performed on all vertebrates.
- Akeley was a man known for being a God of taxidermy.
- Taxidermist make approximately $600 million a year.
- To practice taxidermy you need a permit.