[Nhcoll-l] Minimum viable mammal specimen

[Carolyn R Freiwald]

Apologies, I blame my phone. I'm a researcher who specializes in studying animal skeletons, and I can't emphasize enough the need to collect the whole skeleton for important species, perhaps those your museum is specializing in. Health and pathology, including trauma, require most or all of the skeleton. For example, we are studying a canid species and I may have identified a new manifestation of a common disease that seems to display in the vertebrae and ribs.

I know that's not the answer to your question, but that is what I need as a zooarchaeologist who also works with modern wildlife using skeletal remains.

Good luck!
Carolyn
Carolyn


Dr. Carolyn Freiwald
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
University of Mississippi
544 Lamar
University MS 38677

________________________________
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Simon Moore <couteaufin at btinternet.com>
Sent: Friday, February 9, 2024 9:38 AM
To: Hawkins, Rebecca K. <rkhawkins at ou.edu>
Cc: NHCOLL-new <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Minimum viable mammal specimen

[EXTERNAL]


Hi Rebecca,

Another part of carnivore (and some other mammal) anatomy is the baculum for male specimens which, apparently, can reveal data about growth, something I researched slightly back nine years ago the 1990s and when I was prepping a skull from such a specimen I was also asked to extract this extra part of the skeleton.

With all good wishes, Simon

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

www.natural-history-conservation.com<http://www.natural-history-conservation.com>


> On 9 Feb 2024, at 14:42, Hawkins, Rebecca K. <rkhawkins at ou.edu> wrote:
>
> Hello all,
> Here at the Sam Noble Museum, we have been brainstorming about mammal prep types that would minimize a specimen's footprint in the collection space while maximizing research potential, which we have dubbed the 'minimum viable specimen' in conversation. Such a concept would be useful for larger mammals like coyotes, which—in large numbers—would take a lot of time and effort to prepare and would be spatially expensive to store as stuffed skins and skeletons. With minimum viable specimens, large mammals could be collected in larger sample sizes crucial for research like characterizing population variability and change over time.
>
> Right now we are thinking that a minimum viable mammal specimen consists of a skull, skin swatch, and tissues (muscle and liver?), but would like to open this discussion to other museums as it could benefit all. Thanks!
>
> Rebecca Hawkins (she/her)
> Curatorial Associate
> Sam Noble Museum
> 2401 Chautauqua Ave.
> Norman, OK 73072
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_______________________________________________
NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
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