[NHCOLL-L:5209] Re: Preserving a dead shark

[Couteaufin at aol.com]

Hi Steven,
 
You shark - what you proposed re the formalin sounds fine to me.  Once  
fully thawed, inject it with 10% formalin (3.76% formaldehyde) until it just  
starts to swell ever-so slightly or the fluid runs out again.  Make sure  
that you inject the brain area, the area round the liver and the pelvic cavity  
too.  
You can then preserve it (after a few days) in 5% formalin, alcohol  
(gradually up a ladder of 20% stages) or whatever preservative seems  easiest.  If 
you want DNA then don't leave it in formalin for more than 5  days and 
transfer to alcohol.  You will get some lipid (as  yellow-brown globules) 
leaching in time from the liver in particular, as  formalin will only preserve 
lipid.  Don't worry if the fluid is still clear  but if it turns at all murky 
or dark brown, check the pH and change the fluid  anyway for fresh.
 
Have fun and check out the website below, if time permits.!
 
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/)  

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





 
In a message dated 26/01/2011 22:41:20 GMT Standard Time, sej139 at yahoo.com  
writes:

Hi  everyone, sorry to bother the list with something that isn't really all 
that  
paleo related, but I was wondering if someone could help me out. I  
recently got 
a roughly 1 foot long baby shark. Since it is so young, I  would like to 
preserve 



it. It is currently frozen in a block  of ice until I can figure out what 
to do 
with it. Since I would like to  preserve it, I was wondering what the best 
and/or 



easiest way  to do that might be. I have been leaning toward getting some 
formaldehyde  or formalin, injecting some into it and preserving it in a 
jar with  



the rest. If that is best, how much should I inject into  it.

Thanks for any help I receive,
~Steven

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steven E.  Jasinski
Paleontological and Research Assistant
State Museum of  Pennsylvania


Graduate Studies
Department of Biology
East  Tennessee State University


Phone:  (717)586-9835







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