[Nhcoll-l] Bear Cub in a Jar

[Callomon,Paul]

Hi Lurker Sue,

Mammal specimens tend to leach lipids out into the fluid for years. Full equilibrium - that is, where fluid pressure is identical across the entire specimen - can take a long time to achieve. Not surprising when you think of spaces within the body like bone marrow and tiny capillaries. Even after that, though, changes in temperature can cause the beast to sweat a bit more fat into the fluid.
Regular changing of the juice may or may not help. John Simmons obviously knows more about this than me, but perhaps making the fluid denser (by adding mineral oil or glycerine) might reduce leaching. One would not advise it for a long-term scientific specimen, but if this critter is sacrificial anyway that might work.

PC


Paul Callomon
Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates
________________________________
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia
callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170

________________________________
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Susan Gallagher <sugal at ptd.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 1:41 PM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Bear Cub in a Jar

External.

Hello List,

Question on final preparation of a wet specimen. This is for educational
use only ('m at a nature center, not a museum.)

Nearly two years ago my center received a dead black bear cub, around
3.5 kg.

Since then, and on the advice of John Simmons (John are you still on
this list??) I shot it up with a full bottle of Everclear, then put it
in a plastic bag full of ETOH (like marinating meat) and left it in a
refrigerator.

Well today I took it out, squashed it into a jar, and it looks
fantastic! No odor really other than alcohol, and no slippage of the
fur. Just one tiny spot that looks a little raw, probably from the cub's
original injury.

I'd like to seal him up in the jar in clear liquid, as colorless as I
can get it.

The liquid I drained him from was slightly brownish, like weak tea, and
he still has some of that liquid coming out of him.

Should I rinse him first with water? Or with isopropyl alcohol? Then
fill the jar with ETOH?

Also any advice on sealing the lid? The jar I have had actually been
donated by someone on this list who had been looking to re-home some 3-5
gallon glass jars a while ago. It came with a screw-on metal lid with a
waxy paper insert.

This doesn't need to last forever. Education collections generally do not.

Any advice appreciated. We have several wet specimens here that make
great learning motivators for kids. And we also have lots to teach kids
and visitors about black bears, so I think this will make a great
teaching tool--if I can make it look as "acceptable" as a dead baby bear
in a jar can be for the public.

Thanks for your time in helping a long-time list lurker.

Sue

--
***********************************************
Susan Gallagher, Chief Naturalist
Carbon County Environmental Education Center
151 East White Bear Drive
Summit Hill, PA  18250

sugal at ptd.net
https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=www.carboneec.org&data=02%7C01%7Cprc44%40drexel.edu%7C1c93f048f7f145ebb38008d7ca9a6b4c%7C3664e6fa47bd45a696708c4f080f8ca6%7C0%7C0%7C637200636883326998&sdata=LRN45N4wW3wD4HrUPcHcEOUNDIrAGb00qmWbcifkqbM%3D&reserved=0

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