[Nhcoll-l] Drying protocols for skeletonized specimens

Tue Jun 7 19:24:06 EDT 2022

For different vertebrate groups I would suggest a bit different protocol. While most of my skeleton work has been many thousands of birds and herps, the few hundred mammals I have worked on show some idiosyncrasies. Mammal teeth have a much harder outside layer and a softer inside. If you try to dry the teeth very fast in a non-humid environment, most pf the time canines and many other teeth will crack vertically. I will often slowly dry the skulls when teeth are intact within a jar with the lid partially open. If the time to dry is spread out over a couple to a few days, the likelihood of cracking is reduced - but never guaranteed. I have also seen cracked major long bones on even larger mammals like the North American White-tailed Deer.  My area is not particularly dry like Israel may be, so I would use caution drying mammal skeletons quickly. Bird skeletons, as well as reptiles usually aren't as thick walled, and I have not seen the cracked bones in these groups.

Stephen P. Rogers (Mr.)

Collection Manager of Section of Birds

Carnegie Museum of Natural History

4400 Forbes Avenue

Pittsburgh PA 15213-4080

Phone: 412-622-3255 (home phone number 412-922-5635)

Email: rogerss at CarnegieMNH.org

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From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Gregory Schneider <ges at umich.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 11:15 AM
To: Simon Moore <couteaufin at btinternet.com>
Cc: NHCOLL-new <Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Drying protocols for skeletonized specimens

Similarly, I set bones out in the lab on a paper towel (inside a box top) to air dry.
Greg Schneider
Division of Reptiles and Amphibians
Museum of Zoology
Research Museums Center
3600 Varsity Drive
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108

734 647 1927

ges at umich.edu<mailto:ges at umich.edu>

[Description: Description: logocolor]

www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/rep_amph/index.html<http://www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/rep_amph/index.html>

On Tue, Jun 7, 2022 at 11:01 AM Simon Moore <couteaufin at btinternet.com<mailto:couteaufin at btinternet.com>> wrote:
Hi Gali,

When I used to do this regularly, I just simply air-dried them in the lab.

With all good wishes, Simon

Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR
Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian,

www.natural-history-conservation.com<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fwww.natural-history-conservation.com&c=E,1,0pTPAkX3sYZF52zQQ1tzXhyD1aFGc3nIrHsxJ645hEVsV8IEH0ZjeAQmjO0pG3Rpcgx4bMi17pB7dCNqagAVcGHuR_W3LzlZ7FOKRnGm3QE5CkkJ&typo=1>

> On 7 Jun 2022, at 13:04, Gali Beiner <gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il<mailto:gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il>> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> I'm trying to find out the best protocol for the end of a maceration process- the stage when the clean bones need to be dried out before they can enter a collection.
>
> Once done with all the removal of the soft tissues etc. - do you have recommendations on how to best finish off the process to achieve dry material ready for study?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Gali
>
> --
> Gali Beiner (ACR)
> Conservator, Palaeontology Lab
> National Natural History Collections
> The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
> Berman Building, Edmond J. Safra campus, Givat Ram
> Jerusalem 91904, Israel
> Fax. 972-2-6585785
> gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il<mailto:gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il>
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