#natural history museums

[markscherz]

Last week we began the preparation of this young Chelonia mydas, a green sea turtle, that washed up on a Danish beach earlier this year (you can read a bit about the discovery here). It’s the first green sea turtle recorded from Denmark! The specimen is in *beautiful* condition, with just two barnacles attached, but the gut and cloaca seemed practically empty; we wonder if there might be plastic in the gut, but for the sake of the integrity of this extremely rare specimen, we did not dissect further.

Check out these awesome ‘teeth’ on the palate and the beak—the turtle solution to the loss of true teeth.

This kind of thing is a real highlight of the job. Such a privilege and honour to get to work with these special specimens of national and international significance.

[dinosaurguy]

Edmontosaurus animatronic

I really like the movement of these

[er-cryptid]

Halite

Natural History Museum of Denmark, Mineral Hall

[thebotanicalarcade]

n190_w1150 by Biodiversity Heritage Library Via Flickr: Musée helvétique d'histoire naturelle,. Genève :Chez l'auteur ;1823.. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/45662475

[abnormes]

On the Seashore, George Elgar Hicks (1879)

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

2,300-Year-Old Plush Bird from the Altai Mountains of Siberia, c.400-300 BCE: this figure was crafted with a felt body and reindeer-fur stuffing, all of which remains intact

This plush bird was sealed within the frozen barrows of Pazyryk, Siberia, for more than two millennia, where a unique microclimate enabled it to be preserved. The permafrost ice lense formation that runs below the barrows provided an insulating layer, preventing the soil from heating during the summer and allowing it to quickly freeze during the winter; these conditions produced a separate microclimate within the stone walls of the barrows themselves, thereby aiding in the preservation of the artifacts inside.

This is just one of the many well-preserved artifacts that have been found at Pazyryk. These artifacts are attributed to the Scythian/Altaic cultures.

Currently housed at the Hermitage Museum.

[amnhnyc]

On this day in 1936, the last known thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) died at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania. The animal’s passing marked the extinction of its species. Also known as the “Tasmanian wolf,” the thylacine was Australia’s largest marsupial predator. It sported a dog-like form, with distinctive stripes, and a jaw that could open up to 80 degrees—one of the largest gapes of any mammal.

The thylacine fed primarily on small mammals and birds. Nocturnal and shy, it was seldom seen by humans. However, beginning in the 19th century, settlers believed the animals threatened their livestock and, spurred on by a bounty offered by the government, hunted them relentlessly. Attempts at protecting the species in the wild came too late: Despite numerous unconfirmed reports of sightings in recent decades, no definitive sightings have occurred since the 1930s.

[neptunesdesire]

Details: The Backwater, Charles William Wyllie

[peacefulandcozy]

Instagram credit: co.nfused

[beardless-bearded-vulture]

They had a fun corner in the natural history museum in Bern about the taxidermy process, and they showed the effect the eyes have on how realistic or uh. disturbing. a mount is

The first fox had all black eyes. Not super realistic for those who know red foxes usually have orange or greenish eyes, but still pretty cute

The second one had normal fox eyes. I think they could've gone with a size or two smaller, but still. Regular orange eyes with a vertical pupil as it should be. But then. Oh. Oh no.

Human eyes 👁👁

[dinosaurguy]

Tyrannosaurus rex and Velafrons coahuilensis at Museo del Desierto in Saltillo, Coahuila

[er-cryptid]

Heulandite

Natural History Museum of Denmark, Mineral Hall

[markscherz]

Me when I feel like shit but my partner pays me a compliment.

[m1male2]

Natural History Museum, London

[lallyloo]