[NHCOLL-L:4813] Re: whale skull problems

[Couteaufin at aol.com]

Hi Nancy,
 
Thes best way is to dig a pit and fill it with horse manure and straw,  
cover over and leave to 'simmer'.  The bacteria will remove the mould and  
slean the skull.  There is a specialist author on this subject - can't  remember 
his name but have a google-round.

 
With all good  wishes, Simon

Simon Moore MIScT, FLS, ACR,
Conservator of Natural  Sciences,
20 Newbury Street,
Whitchurch RG28 7DN.
_www.natural-history-conservation.com_ 
(http://www.natural-history-conservation.com/)  
_www.pocket-fruit-knives.info_ (http://www.pocket-fruit-knives.info/)  

_http://uk.linkedin.com/in/naturalsciencespecimenconserve_ 
(http://uk.linkedin.com/in/naturalsciencespecimenconserve)   


In a message dated 12/04/2010 17:42:00 GMT Daylight Time, nmccartn at uark.edu 
 writes:

Thanks  to everyone who answered about egg collection: "...and now for   
something completely different...."

I have a long-finned pilot  whale skull (Globicephala melaena) which  
was in a freezer but the  freezer failed and when the skull was  
recovered, it was found to be  covered (and presumably infiltrated  
with) mold.

Skull is  bagged and back in a functioning freezer, but I am at a loss  
of how  to get the mold out and reclaim the skull, especially since I   
personally know of sectioning of  whale ribs  that produced  Botulism  
spores, or whatever!

I'd like to save the skull but  am not sure this can be done.

Are there any clever ideas out there  about how to do deal with this  
problem?

Thanks.

NMcC

Nancy Glover McCartney,  PhD
Curator of Zoology
UA Collections Facility
2435  Hatch
Fayetteville, AR  72701

http://fulbright.uark.edu/collections/

Phone:  479-575-4370
FAX:  479-575-7464








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