Boiling! Eeee gads.
Boiling can be done to prep large skulls (say... dog size and
larger) and only for adult specimens as bone that is not fully
ossified will tend to fall apart. Also, reptile skulls that are boiled
tend to become completely disarticulated so that what was 1 skull
becomes several dozen smaller bones.
Maceration does work very well and can be used easily for almost
any sized specimen. however, it does smell a great deal and
specimens tend to disarticulate significantly, though not as much
as they do with boiled (boiling also destroys the protein matrix that
holds together much muscle and removes many other
compounds that are technically part of the specimen as well...
most museums no longer boil because of the risk of information
loss).
We use dermestids for everything except specimens that are just
too far gone to bother skinning completely. Maceration can be
done with skin on the specimen, but it slows the process (it is a
water proof barrier after all). Ideally, whether using dermestids or
maceration, or other techniques, skinning completely should be
the first step, followed quickly by evisceration. The fresher the
better. For really large specimens (herp-wise... iguanas, etc.)
remove as much muscle as possible too. Whatever you don't
want should be removed as it will take the bugs longer to do later.
Other techniques for skeletal prep: clear and stain, enzyme
digestion (really does nasty things to matrix and even etches the
bones), isopods (slow, but delicate work can be done by these
rolly-pollies), manual (hand pick off the stuff you don't want...
requires a steady hand and patience... and some working
knowledge of the anatomy of the beast).
Bon Appetite!
Greg
Assistant Collections Manager
Division of Vertebrate Zoology
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
New Haven, CT 06520
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