[NHCOLL-L:5317] Turtle shells and scute removal

[Steven Jasinski]

Hi everyone,

     I have a relatively simple question that I hope will be easy to answer. I 
am trying to remove the scutes off of a few turtle shells and was wondering what 

the best way of doing that may be? I tried warm to hot water at first, and let 
the carapace and plastron soak in the water as it cooled. I left it in there for 

about a week. At the end of the week little happened. The bridge started to peel 

just barely, but when I took off one of the scutes, the pattern was left 
underneath, so I think it just took off the outside of the scute and not the 
whole thing. I'm sure it wasn't down to the actual bone of the carapace yet. It 
also had started to smell a good bit worse, so I have taken it out until I can 
hopefully come up with a better plan, if there is one. Any other ideas such as 
soaking in cold water or soaking it in something else?

Thanks,
        ~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