Wednesday, June 12, 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.

The individuals who do this kind of work are called taxidermists. These people may work as professionals hired by museums or other businesses, or do it recreationally as a hunter, fisherman or hobbyist. In either case, this work requires knowledge of tanning, sculpture and painting, and animal anatomy.

The idea of preserving the parts of an animal has been around for centuries. Egyptian mummies were often buried with embalmed creatures. The process of embalming involves more lifelike, natural poses of specimens, and is not considered the same thing as taxidermy. The eighteenth century was the first occurrence of bird preservation. Clay was used early on as a way to shape the soft body parts of the animal. However, this technique added extra weight to the pieces.

The golden age of this practice was during the Victorian time period. Many hunters were using these as hunting trophies. The pieces were also being implemented into interior design and decor schemes.

Techniques of taxidermists have improved with time. The quality of these pieces has increased and the toxicity decreased. The first step in the process is skinning of the animal. This can be done without the body cavity being opened. Chemicals that preserve may be placed on certain skin types and in other cases the skin is tanned. Then the piece is mounted on a mannequin made from wire, wood, polyurethane form or wool. Clay is used to put in glass eyes. The goal in this process is to maintain lifelike, attractive results.

The preparation process will vary by animal. Usually the whole body of bears are preserved, while some other animals may only be left with their heads. In general, professionals are hired to do jobs on animals that are large in size. If individuals are unable to get the animal to the taxidermist in a timely manner, the hide is to be frozen so it stays preserved until mounting.

Prices of this type of service will range. Often it is relative to the services request and company doing the work. Non-hunters who are looking for a mounting of a bear can purchase one from the numerous retailers who sell taxidermy pieces. These come at different price points that may be based on the style of mounting, bear type and seller.

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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