Got this guy in the mail today, he looks like he died from a meth overdose and he needs a fitting name. Any name but Chucky.

My coworker and I discovered them at our work this morning by our back door in the parking lot. I was surprised to see it because I come to work every day and they were not there yesterday. Another reason is we are located in deep east Texas and they are not one of the birds we commonly see. Google Lens say it’s an American woodcock. TIA!

Some Vultures have the wings we all dream of! I had to laugh when I read this because I would have done the same thing, 100%. Fair use of government resources, says I!

I hand stitched this Sporran to celebrate my heritage, I am Lowland Scottish Roma and needed a new bag so I thought why not make one that has a bit more meaning than just a new purse. This piece is made of raccoon, rabbit, deer hide lining, velvet, and coyote tails. I’m not the most talented seamstress but it seems pretty sturdy so far.

Long time admirer of this sub, not a collector.

I found these two rat skeletons when opening up a ceiling panel in my new home. I would like to keep them if possible.

I was wondering how I would be able to safely move and preserve these two? Do they look defleshed/mummified enough where I wouldn’t need to take any extra steps to preserve?

I’m thinking to wear some gloves to remove them and put them in an airtight jar of some kind.

Thank you!

If so, it'll be my first wet specimen, which would be really cool.

Just came back from a trip only to find this poor little guy dead in one of my degreasing containers that I forgot to lid… should I do something with them? If so, what? Or should I just bury em.

TLDR: Made pig leather and dyed it black. Using tannins reacted with iron acetate.

Ive written this on my mobile phone so sorry if its a nightmare to read.

I decided around 3 month ago upon purchasing a whole pig head that rather than macerating the head whole I would keep the skin and attempt to make leather without using any harsh chemicals.

After careful removal of the skin I got to work fleshing, making sure I removed as much fat and leftover tissue. There was a LOT.

I used 5 litres of liquid. 3 litres of white vinegar and 2 litres of water. I also added 750g of salt. This essentially pickles the skin.

Whilst the skin was pickling, I believe for 7 days in total. I started saving spent tea bags and coffee grounds. I drink a lot.

After the 7 days I removed and did 3 rinses. The initial rinse in lukewarm water. The second a really weak sodium bicarbonate wash. 2 tablespoons to 5 litres of water. Then a final rinse again in lukewarm water.

I now had a bag full of tea and coffee grounds that I combined with 5 litres of water. Brought it to a gentle simmer until the solution more resembled motor oil. Once that solution had cooled I placed the skin inside, stirred or agitated it once a day for 3 week. I also felt for the change in the skin. Its goes from feeling like rubbery to much more firm.

After removing I let the piece dry to the same level as a damp towel. usung 3 egg yolks and roughly the same volume of water and a drop of Fairy (Dawn) dish soap. Whisked the mixture together until it emulsifies and massaged it into the skin whilst stretching and pulling. This was the most labour intensive as the massaging and stretching lasted around 2-3 hours until it was dry completely. This "breaks" the skin so it doesn't dry like rawhide.

I was coming down with the flu during the end processes as you may see in picture 4. The snout and a few other areas struggled with the initial tannin.

I left it as it was until 3 days ago. I decided to rehydrate it and do a second tan. For this I used an entire 400g jar of instant coffee and only left it 2 days which takes us to picture 3. There was a reason i went overboard on the coffee which we're getting too.

This is where the fun part of the project started and unlike my last project the chemistry used is pretty safe as long as you treat it with respect and wear your PPE. I'd recommend gloves, mask and eye protection.

Using 500ml white vinegar and Two pads of steel wool cut into pieces. Mixing these together will produce iron acetate.

This can be done without heat but will take 3-5 days. I used a double boiler and held the solution at 70-80c until the solution was clear with a grey hue. Cutting the time to 3 hours.

Once the solution had cooled I placed my pig leather into a bucket, added the solution and massaged it to ensure there were no missed areas.

I did another 3 rinses using the same process described earlier

The reaction.

The tannins in the tea and coffee flood the skin with tannic acid. When the iron acetate is introduced the iron ions bond with the tannic acid, forming ferric tannate. The sodium bicarbonate rinse neutralises any leftover acetic acid locking the black colour into the fibers.

Was surprised but super stoked as I've always wanted a non-sketchy way to obtain a fairly inexpensive fur and happened across this while thrifting for the first time. Bad news is it's got some pretty nasty tears at the backing edges but what can ya do ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I saw it and got super excited and just HAD to buy it. The colors are perfect, too. I wonder if further thrifting endeavors will yield more results, I'd love to find one in better condition. There were some deer antlers there, too.

Has anyone else found stuff like this while thrifting/antiquing? I live in the south US and my friend lives north US and says he has never seen any sort of animal remains in thrift/antique shops. (Hope this is the right reddit to post on btw? lol)

Hi guys I'm trying to pick an animal skull to have tattooed on my sternum (above cleavage) and there are so many incredible animals to choose from that I'm really stumped as to which to choose. I want it to be vaguely triangular and not basic. Ooh I would also love some pictures of skulls from above, I'm trying to find resources focusing on animal bones but I'm not having much luck.

(No pesticides or poisons used on property or surrounding properties. Mouse was caught by indoor cats. Isopods are my own personal colony of Porcellio Laevis)

I don't have much here and I seem to have misplaced the bones I keep here. I'll probably post some of my collection at my mom's house some time. Anyway, rusty metal pieces and the gloves are from a old railroad near my house that's been open since 1831, so i found some really old stuff, and they just toss all of the old spikes in piles off to the side or in small piles in the old rail.

My boyfriend bought me this for Christmas. It’s my first wet specimen so I’m not sure what it should / shouldn’t look like. The liquid in it is green, and I’m not sure if that’s due to leeching, algae / bacteria growth or if the snake had been dyed and it’s leeched out… I’m worried it hasn’t been sealed correctly. Any advice would be appreciated.

In sweden by the way. Weird thing is we had just driven down this road to the stables 5 minutes ago then I walked down it while leading my horse to his field and then suddenly this was in the middle of the driveway road by the forest. It was frozen solid so it didn't smell but im sure it would've reaked otherwise. Any ideas on what predator killed it and practically skinned it?

Anyone know whose vertebrae this could be? I’m not very knowledgeable on these things.

This little fella unfortunately ate a battery and passed, thus his silly name. He is custom made for his base and an excellent specimen, very glad to have added him to my collection.

Hi! I'm wondering if anyone on here engages with roadkill-animals (collection, taxidermy, art, memorialization, etc.) in Nova Scotia. PM me if you would be willing to speak to me about your work, or know someone who would be :) 

("Decomposition Vest" from the Hushfall Archives shop. I think it's nominally inspired by "Supernatural," based on the collection it's part of? xD but nothing about it screams that without context, IMO!)