Monday 10 June 2013

General Information About Bear Taxidermy

By Grace Daniels


Taxidermy is used when referring to the processes that go into preserving animal skins for the purpose of display or studies. This preparation, stuffing and mounting is primarily done on vertebrates. A lot of hunters use this as a trophy of their catches. The process is performed on many vertebrate species, including fish, mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians. Bear taxidermy is quite popular, especially among Americans.

Taxidermist is the title given to the people who do this work. Such individuals may do it recreationally as fishermen, hunters or hobbyists. They might also take it on as a professional career, working for museums and other such businesses. In both instances, they must have working knowledge of animal anatomy, tanning, and painting and sculpting.

Preservation of animal skins is nothing new. In fact, embalmed animals were present in tombs with Egyptian mummies. The embalming process is separate from taxidermy. It usually puts the animals in lifelike poses. The 1700s saw the earliest form of preservation of birds for placement in natural history cabinets. Historically, clay was used for the purpose of shaping soft parts of the animal, but this technique made the specimens weigh more.

The peak of this process came during the Victorian era. It was during this time that there were more hunters and these pieces were collected as hunting trophies. They were also being used as decor for interior design projects.

These structures used to be toxic. Nowadays, they are of greater quality because the methods used to make them have improved. Skinning is typically the first stage in the process. This step can be completed without opening the body up. It depends on the animal and its skin type, but tanning is done next or a chemicals are applied for preservation. The specimen can then be mounted onto a mannequin, which is usually made from wire, polyurethane, wool or wood. Glass eyes are attached using pieces of clay. The goal is to create a piece that looks natural and lifelike.

This process varies based on the species. Often the entire body of a bear is preserved, while other animals may just have their heads salvaged. Generally, professionals are recruited to do jobs that involve preserving extremely large animals. If people are unable to get the animal to a professional taxidermist promptly, the hide should be frozen to preserve it until it is mounted.

The cost of such services will vary depending on the company providing the services, the services requested and other such factors. Those who want a bear piece but are not hunters can purchase these from a variety of retailers. The cost of such mountings will also range considerably and are often relative to the retailer, type of bear and style.

Stuffing and mounting animals is known as taxidermy. This process is done on a variety of vertebrate species, such as: mammals, amphibians, fish, reptiles and birds. Bear taxidermy is among the most popular types. Taxidermists may do this as a hobby or a profession. Correct preservation will last for a long amount of time. This practice of preservation has been around for hundreds of years but was more popular during the Victorian era.




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