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<p class="MsoNormal">Beth<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have dozens, if not hundreds, of flat mammal skins ranging in size from small mice to otter. Instead of a mid-ventral incision to remove the skin I recommend a side incision from the corner of the mouth to the base of the tail. This leaves
the entire dorsal, ventral and one flank area intact for examination both of exterior (pelage patterns) and interior (molt or gland (shrew) patterns) surfaces. Incision side feet go to with the carcass for a skeleton, opposite side feet stay with the skin.
Skin has fat gently removed, washed if necessary. A wire/cotton can be inserted into tail and wisps of cotton in the remaining two legs. Pinned (insect pins are great) to dry on a paper towel on foam core with the fur side up. Tag threaded through eye hole.
When dry the paper towel is examined for oil spots. Oily skins are placed flesh side up on a fresh paper towel and then covered with a layer of very warm cornmeal to pull oil out (repeat as necessary). Finished product, with tag attached, is placed in a polyethylene
bag, frozen for a couple of weeks, and installed to the collection. Again, no card attached, both sides of hide are visible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For larger skins (i.e., raccoon) it is the same process with the possible addition of a wide fold (not a crease) in the hide to reduce the overall size. The flat dried hide has a wood dowel wrapped in wet cotton placed where the fold is
desired and tented in plastic. Anywhere from a few hours to a day (cotton might need more water) the skin should be soft enough for a wide fold. Be careful it is wet enough to fold otherwise the hide might crack and break. The hide is then left to dry again
in the folded position (fur side out) with the a dry dowel in place. When dry the hide should have enough flexibility to still peek inside for molt patterns, etc. No tanning chemicals are used, cornmeal or corn cob fines are it. Without the additional chemicals
these skins could be used for environmental chemical / isotope analyses.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let me know if you have any questions. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whole animal fluid preservation is also an option, though likely not for the bigger beasts.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thomas<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk69471918"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Thomas E. Labedz (Mr.), Collections Manager</span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Division of Zoology and Division of Botany<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">University of Nebraska State Museum<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Morrill Hall<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">645 North 14th Street<br>
Lincoln, NE 68588-0338<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">402/472-8366<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"></span><a href="mailto:tlabedz1@unl.edu"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">tlabedz1@unl.edu</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">
</span></span><a href="http://www.museum.unl.edu"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">www.museum.unl.edu</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk69471918"></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu> <b>
On Behalf Of </b>Elizabeth Wommack<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, October 3, 2022 4:49 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Nhcoll-l] Acid free card board or card stock for mammal flat skins samples<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:tomato">Non-NU Email</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Hello everyone,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The UWYMV has several active graduate research projects on mammals, and we're working to help them preserve as much as possible while also not overwhelming the collection.
One thing we are looking into is saving some parts of the animals as flat skins, and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for the types of material to use for the pinning and stretching the mammal flat skins and skin samples. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">I've found archival/acid free card stock, which I think will work well for helping preserve parts of chipmunks. I'm concerned though the card stock will not be sturdy
enough to help us preserve skins samples from larger mammals, such as raccoons. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Any recommendations or suggestions are much appreciated.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Thank you,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Beth Wommack<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#202124">Elizabeth Wommack, PhD<br>
Curator and Collections Manager of Vertebrates<br>
University of Wyoming Museum of Vertebrates <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#202124">Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#202124">University of Wyoming,<br>
Laramie, WY 82071<br>
<a href="mailto:ewommack@berkeley.edu" target="_blank">ewommack@</a><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/uwyo.edu/__;!!PvXuogZ4sRB2p-tU!DzRZOdDLRbCteahtqpjcpGvIA_94r4GRVIokOR7SMtCRRBXy5cXxfZwSChbAqbA1HQdFHRxJo-SSIc130E1h$" target="_blank">uwyo.edu</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#202124">pronouns: she, her, herself<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#202124"><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.uwymv.org/index.php/download_file/view/43/143/__;!!PvXuogZ4sRB2p-tU!DzRZOdDLRbCteahtqpjcpGvIA_94r4GRVIokOR7SMtCRRBXy5cXxfZwSChbAqbA1HQdFHRxJo-SSIRy4dpLy$" target="_blank">UWYMV
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