#grpm

[lifewithdeadbirds]

This GRPM intern’s favorite feathery fashion specimens are the boas! These 1920′s boas greatly predate the boas that can be purchased at many costume stores today, and are considered much higher quality. They are made with ostrich feathers, which have a thinner, more yarn-like shape than the ‘chandelle’ turkey feathers used in modern boas. This ends up creating a heavier, more lavish-looking boa, perfect for anyone feeling particularly glamorous.

[lifewithdeadbirds]

Taxidermy is difficult to store. There’s no way around that. Each individual piece is a once-living sculpture, which delicate pieces, sharp angles, and a combination of different materials that each require specific storage conditions. While skins, skeletons, and other specimens are often stored in a meticulously ordered fashion, deciding how to store your taxidermy is more like playing zoology Tetris.

That being said, taxidermy can be so beautiful, it’s well worth the storage confusion to keep it safe for future generations to use. Plus, fitting it all together safely can be great staff bonding!

Photo credit: Kaitie Janecke Soltesz

[lifewithdeadbirds]

This hat is covered entirely in feathers! The mix of brown and iridescence on the feathers make this a modest look, but the amount of birds killed by the hat industry was anything but modest. Hundreds of thousands of birds were killed every month at the height of this feathery fad. More “plain” birds like pheasants and geese, as well as egrets, songbirds, and even owls were used to adorn hats, covering over fifty species of birds in the U.S. alone.

Photo credit: Kaitie Janecke Soltesz

[lifewithdeadbirds]

One of the specimens that the curators at the Grand Rapids Public Museum make sure to explain to students is this taxidermy Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius). Passenger Pigeons used to number in the billions here in North America, one of the most abundant birds on the planet. Today, they all look like this.

 For today’s schoolkids, extinction is going to quickly become a part of “business as usual” unless dramatic changes are made now. Passenger Pigeons went extinct after massive over-hunting by humans, and many other species have met the same fate. Currently in the U.S., we’re at risk of losing funding for programs that protect these species, work to rehabilitate populations, and educate people on the importance of a diverse community of animals. If you can, please keep an eye on local, state, and national policy changes, and speak up when you can. I want to see our wildlife alive and well, not simply as an object lesson on what a lack of responsible control looks like.

Photo credit: Kaitie Janecke Soltesz

[lifewithdeadbirds]

Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) are one of the most recognizable parrots in the world. Their brilliant plumage is so distinctive, and these birds are big! Their long tails make up over half of their total body length, about 40 cm (~16 inches) long!

Macaws are commonly kept in zoos and aviaries, and Scarlet Macaw breeding programs have existed for almost a thousand years! However, some are still being taken illegally out of the wild, even with legal options available, likely due to the expense of breeder birds.

Photo credit: Kaitie Janecke Soltesz

[lifewithdeadbirds]

Mammal skulls tend to be a bit more impressive than bird skulls, partially because of the enormous size of some specimens! This mastodon (Genus Mammut) skull is about the same size I am, and it is an amazing sight even for those of us who are familiar with museum specimens.

On this skull, you can get a great view of this mastodon’s teeth, one of the key features that helped to define these animals as a separate group of animals from mammoths and elephants. While mastodons were herbivores, initial examinations of these oddly pointed chompers lead some naturalists to argue that these teeth may have come from a separate carnivore. Further research has reassured us that mastodons actually ate much like today’s elephants, browsing on all kinds of plant matter.

Photo credit: Kaitie Janecke Soltesz

[lifewithdeadbirds]

Lots of birds have impressive beaks, but parrots (Order Psittaciformes) have one of my favorite beak types. These massive beaks have the best of everything. The curve at the end is useful for pulling things apart and manipulating things, and that thick bottom jaw is perfect for crunching into nuts or other treats. I also think these clunky beaks add so much to parrots’ already impressive range of expressions. A slightly open mouth or a wide open beak can give a great indicator of a parrot’s emotional state.

Photo credit: Kaitie Janecke Soltesz

[lifewithdeadbirds]

Sometimes, collections give you a gift. A beautiful, terrible, incredibly bizarre gift.

The Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) is a majestic creature. They’re known for their gorgeous and functional fur patterning, including facial ruffs and dark ear tufts, their huge, powerful paws, and their fierce hunting of Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus), their favorite prey.

This particular specimen may not be remembered for any of those things.

First of all, it may not be a lynx at all. It’s labelled as one, but it looks suspiciously Bobcat-y. One of the things that I love the most about...less than perfect taxidermy is that it points out the differences between humans’ perceptions of animals, and the reality of these creatures. Cats normally hold their claws sheathed, unless they’re attacking something, but we see them on display here. The face has also been shaped to look more like a Bobcat (Lynx rufus), possibly because the artist was more familiar with that species or because of available materials, or perhaps it IS one. There’s also a slight hint of, yes, a rather human smile.

Photo credit: Kaitie Janecke Soltesz