#Animal remains

[kradljivac-kostiju]

my teeth collection

[roadside-reaper]

Field Mouse Skull on Bull Elk Skull

[lindagoesmushrooming]

Amanita fulva, leccinum albostipitatum, leccinum scabrum, amanita muscaria

[imoveskin]

Bones in the snow!

[something-feral]

Wolf skulls (Canadian Museum of Nature), 29.08.23

[noughticalcrossings]

Larus

My first ever taxidermy, done over two extremely cold weeks in November working outside after sunset using trial, error, and dozens of YouTube videos. I’m so incredibly pleased with how it’s turned out.

Immature European Herring Gull, with seashells including cockle, whelk, clam and topshells

[adipoceresaints]

Recent haul

(The turkey feather is not MBTA)

[isvoc]

Happy Valentines Day!

[kleinergeist]

Rat vertebrae bracelet - a stylish fashion accessory and a cute animal companion all in one!

[roadside-reaper]

Taxidermy domestic c.at paws

[lindagoesmushrooming]

Happy Halloween!

[benjhawkins]

Pentecost did some spring cleaning and didn’t warn me he moved the moose skull so I got jumpscared when I came up the stairs after work 💀

[imoveskin]

A customer dropped off this pretty gal but didn’t want the cape! I got it for free and I’m gonna mount her on my own personal time. She’s gorgeous! Love her little chipped ear :3

[something-feral]

19.12.23

[new-dinosaurs]

Patagona chaski Williamson et al., 2024 (new species)

(Illustration of the type specimen of Patagona chaski by Jillian Ditner, from Williamson et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: chaski = messenger [in Quechua, referring to relay runners of the former Inka Empire, who exhibited exceptional speed, endurance, and memory, similar to this bird species]

Suggested common name: Northern giant hummingbird

Age: Holocene (Meghalayan), extant

Where found: Arid and semiarid habitats along the west slope of the Andes and in intermontane valleys, at altitudes of 1800–4300 m above sea level

How much is known: At least 193 collected specimens are held in museum collections.

Notes: P. chaski is a hummingbird. Weighing between 16–26 g, it is the largest known hummingbird in the world. Until recently, it was considered the same species as the closely related P. gigas. However, a new study on the migratory habits, genetics, and morphology of these hummingbirds suggests that two distinct species should be recognized.

Whereas P. gigas breeds at low elevations and migrates northward to higher elevations, P. chaski remains at high elevations all year round. P. chaski can be found further north than P. gigas (hence the proposed common name "northern giant hummingbird"), but it overlaps with the non-breeding range of P. gigas in the southern parts of its range.

Genetic comparisons suggest that the two species diverged from one another over 2 million years ago, though they remain difficult to tell apart based on appearance. In addition to being slightly larger than P. gigas on average, P. chaski generally has a whitish (as opposed to brownish) throat and a more obvious white ring around the eye.

Reference: Williamson, J.L., E.F. Gyllenhaal, S.M. Bauernfeind, E. Bautista, M.J. Baumann, C.R. Gadek, P.P. Marra, N. Ricote, T. Valqui, F. Bozinovic, N.D. Singh, and C.C. Witt. 2024. Extreme elevational migration spurred cryptic speciation in giant hummingbirds. PNAS 121: e2313599121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2313599121

[adipoceresaints]

Listening to the pAper chAse and cleaning my skull shelf has me feeling like a horror movie character