[Nhcoll-l] Minimum viable mammal specimen

[Gali Beiner]

Well, this pretty much depends on how we'd define research, doesn't it? In
our mammalian collection, different parts of the skeleton are used in
different studies (eg comparative statistical study of populations) so
keeping only skulls would severely limit usefulness. A study can, for
example, compare only calcanea of a species to determine variation ranges
and help identify archaeological finds. Miminimizing saved parts to skull
in a swatch of skin and tissue will therefore always cut out research
options and it is up to us to decide how and when that might be acceptable,
if it is acceptable.

That said, I extend my sympathy for anyone facing restricted space, the
plight of all natural history collections!


Best wishes,

Gali

בתאריך יום ו׳, 9 בפבר׳ 2024, 16:43, מאת Hawkins, Rebecca K. ‏<
rkhawkins at ou.edu>:

> Hello all,
>
> Here at the Sam Noble Museum, we have been brainstorming about mammal prep
> types that would minimize a specimen's footprint in the collection space
> while maximizing research potential, which we have dubbed the 'minimum
> viable specimen' in conversation. Such a concept would be useful for larger
> mammals like coyotes, which—in large numbers—would take a lot of time and
> effort to prepare and would be spatially expensive to store as stuffed
> skins and skeletons. With minimum viable specimens, large mammals could be
> collected in larger sample sizes crucial for research like characterizing
> population variability and change over time.
>
> Right now we are thinking that a minimum viable mammal specimen consists
> of a skull, skin swatch, and tissues (muscle and liver?), but would like to
> open this discussion to other museums as it could benefit all. Thanks!
>
> Rebecca Hawkins (she/her)
> Curatorial Associate
> Sam Noble Museum
> 2401 Chautauqua Ave.
> Norman, OK 73072
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