On Taxidermy

Preserved teddies (Shadowmanor.com)

I've been pondering recently why I am drawn to taxidermy and associated animal preservation. Every time I visit a museum with a natural history section I'm excited to see what wonders they have on display. Collection of butterflies and beetles in wooden framed boxes, exotic colourful birds filling glass domes, and prowling predators frozen in time are indeed candy for the eyes!

Alfred Russell Wallace's collection of butterflies in the NHM London

Taxidermy enables us to get up close and personal with animals we might never get a chance to see alive in the wild, and even preserves those that are now sadly extinct. When done well, the art of taxidermy can bring a second life to dead animals, and some imagination and a bit of artistic license can even create new wondrous creatures like unicorns, flying cats, and jackalopes. Even mixed media creatures featuring jewelled or mechanical parts are commonplace these days - check out the work of Jessica Joslin and Brooke Weston for some of my favourites.

'Custard' by Brooke Weston

Vast displays of taxidermy or 'museum skins' (where only the skin is preserved and not stuffed, to enable specimens to be studied and stored in smaller spaces as in museum collections) also allow us to appreciate the massive variety of forms that occur in nature. Many variations of colour and patterning between species can be marveled at, the products of millions of years of evolution. Some of my favourites include the huge tree of hummingbirds at London's natural history museum and also the hummingbird display at Tring NHM. Walking through the massive gallery of even-toed ungulate antelopes at Tring to observe the variety of antlers and horns was a definite highlight for me.

Collection of beetles

Gallery at Tring NHM

Wunderkammer, curiosity cabinets packed with bones, crystals, insects and preserved specimens in jars of formaldehyde, once a macabre Victorian fascination seem to also be back in fashion. When I was little I kept an small old suitcase filled with bits and bobs I had collected (I still have it but most of the things are now displayed proudly around the house!). An antler, feathers, stones with holes through them, things in small bottles and jars, dead butterflies and tiny bird bones all hoarded. It felt magical, making a connection to the past and to nature, having a small trove of treasure unlike anyone else!

A fantastical combination of various animal parts by Enrique Gomez Molina, who got into a bit of bother for illegal trafficking of endangered species, don't do it kids!

A cabinet of curiosities

Trying to make a dead bird seem as if it could take flight at any moment is an art indeed. Through the practise of taxidermy I am learning more than I ever thought I would about animal anatomy and physiology. Although surrounded by photographic references while I work, it is so important to observe the living versions going about their business too. You need to be aware of what a 'natural pose' really is. There is no substitute for studying wildlife in its natural setting.

Can a stoat bend that way? At what angle should the tail of a robin sit?

Stoats, surprisingly bendy.

Every day is a school day.

Textures and colours are a huge draw for me too. Types and patterns of fur and feathers can be appreciated at close hand. I am sure there are some of you out there that think all birds are entirely covered in feathers -  not so! Feathers grow in tracts and there are patches of bare skin called apteria which birds use for cooling. Penguins however are entirely covered in feathers to enable them to inhabit the freezing temperatures of the Antarctic. When you are blasting a soggy crow skin with a hairdryer you definitely get an appreciation for these adaptations!

Red Crested Turaco

Araripe Manakin

Grey crowned crane

Mandarin Duck

Fairy Penguin in Australia, not Antarctica.

Although as a amateur the process of taxidermy can sometimes be very frustrating, the rewards are great. Appreciation, understanding and a lasting memorial which can be enjoyed over many years are my treasures.