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Dear Tom,</div>
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This is certainly puzzling. Our oldest <i>Architeuthis</i> beak dates to the ca. 1873 and it has been alcohol for at least 100 years, and probably formalin before that. We have hundreds of specimens of various large squids and octopus, and there is no evidence
that any have degraded at all. The only real damage I have seen is with our giant pacific octopus which after 20 years in formalin became overly soft and prone to tearing.</div>
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I will be very interested to hear of other's experience with squid, and in particular, <i>Architeuthis</i> preservation.</div>
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<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Eric A. Lazo-Wasem, Senior Collections Manager</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Division of Invertebrate Zoology</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Peabody Museum of Natural History</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Yale University</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">170 Whitney Avenue</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">New Haven, CT 06520</p>
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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" color="#000000" style="font-size:11pt"><b>From:</b> Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Tom Schiøtte <tschioette@snm.ku.dk><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, June 17, 2021 4:59 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu <nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Martin Vinther Sørensen <mvsorensen@snm.ku.dk>; Anders Drud Jordan <adjordan@snm.ku.dk><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Nhcoll-l] Squid beak dissolved?</font>
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<span lang="EN-US">We recently at NHMD had an <i>Architeuthis</i> specimen out of the collection for filming and photographing. The beak of the specimen was missing and is not found in the dry collection. I could see no traces of dissection on the buccal mass,
and it would be difficult, in my experience, to remove a beak without leaving any cutmarks. The probable (unrecorded) conservation history of the specimen is buffered formalin fixing after catch in 1965, subsequent transfer to 70 % alcohol with no added substances.</span></p>
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<span lang="EN-US">Martin V. Sørensen tells me about chitin being dissolved in acidic alcohol over time, but in much smaller organisms. The cephalopod beak is mostly chitin, but for example we see the beaks regularly in whale stomachs, where the conditions
must be pretty acidic. Any clues to what made our <i>Architeuthis</i> beak disappear?</span></p>
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<span lang="EN-US">Cheers</span></p>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color:#1F497D">Tom Schiøtte</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style=""></span></p>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color:#1F497D"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style=""></span></p>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color:#1F497D">Collection manager, Echinodermata & Mollusca</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style=""></span></p>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color:#1F497D">Natural History Museum of Denmark (Zoology)</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style=""></span></p>
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<b><span style="color:#1F497D">Universitetsparken 15</span></b><span style=""></span></p>
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<b><span style="color:#1F497D">DK 2100 Copenhagen OE</span></b><span style=""></span></p>
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<b><span style="color:#1F497D">+45 35 32 10 48</span></b><span style=""></span></p>
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<b><span style="color:#1F497D"><a href="mailto:TSchioette@snm.ku.dk"><span style="color:blue">TSchioette@snm.ku.dk</span></a></span></b><span style=""></span></p>
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