[Nhcoll-l] [EXTERN] Cetacean skeleton issues

[Vanessa Pitusi]

Dear Dirk,
I appreciate the additional input!
I think for now, we will stick to superficial cleaning 😊
Thank you and have a good festive season! 🎄
Kind regards,
Vanessa



[cid:image001.png at 01DC6DD8.46358B70]
From: Dirk Neumann <d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de>
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 3:17 PM
To: Vanessa Pitusi <vanessa.pitusi at uit.no>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXTERN] Cetacean skeleton issues

Dear Vanessa,

if it is indeed mould (you would easily recognise this from the powdery spores), you can treat this with 70% EtOH. Otherwise, if it is "just" grease, the question would be if conservation treatment is needed.

Especially old whales have a lot of grease in their bones, and even if you would degrease the surface, the remaining grease would ooze out again. Which chemical decreasing, you would probably reduce the scientific value of the specimen, because the chemical agents and decreasing procedure would affect the remaining proteins and lipids that might be useful for future research.

With best wishes
Dirk


Am 15.12.2025 um 13:26 schrieb Vanessa Pitusi:
Dear Dirk,
Thank you for getting back to me and, mould, what a Christmas present 🙈
All the best,
Vanessa

[cid:image001.png at 01DC6DD8.46358B70]
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu><mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Dirk Neumann
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 12:49 PM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXTERN] Cetacean skeleton issues

Dear Vanessa,

on a quick look, some seems like intense oil/fat staining, but especially on the second picture it looks like if there would be mould growth on top of the greasy surfaces.

With best wishes
Dirk


Am 15.12.2025 um 12:29 schrieb Vanessa Pitusi:
Dear all,

I have been going through our cetacean skeletons and have noticed some issues (see photos).

Any advice on how to treat such conditions and how long that would take?

Kind regards,
Vanessa

[cid:image001.png at 01DC6DD8.46358B70]




_______________________________________________

Nhcoll-l mailing list

Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>

https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l



_______________________________________________

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<http://www.spnhc.org/> for membership information.

Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.


--
****

Dirk Neumann
Collection Manager, Hamburg

Postal address:
Museum of Nature Hamburg
Leibniz Institute for the Analysis
of Biodiversity Change
Dirk Neumann
Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3
20146 Hamburg
+49 40 238 317 – 628
d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de<mailto:d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de>
www.leibniz-lib.de<imap://dneumann@webmail.leibniz-lib.de:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX/Privat/www.leibniz-lib.de>

--
Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels
Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany

Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts;
Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Grüter (Kaufm. Geschäftsführer)
Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn
Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst

--
Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels
Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany

Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts;
Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Grüter (Kaufm. Geschäftsführer)
Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn
Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael H. Wappelhorst


--
****

Dirk Neumann
Collection Manager, Hamburg

Postal address:
Museum of Nature Hamburg
Leibniz Institute for the Analysis
of Biodiversity Change
Dirk Neumann
Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3
20146 Hamburg
+49 40 238 317 – 628
d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de<mailto:d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de>
www.leibniz-lib.de<imap://dneumann@webmail.leibniz-lib.de:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/INBOX/Privat/www.leibniz-lib.de>

--
Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels
Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany

Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts;
Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Grüter (Kaufm. Geschäftsführer)
Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn
Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst

--
Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels
Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany

Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts;
Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Grüter (Kaufm. Geschäftsführer)
Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn
Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael H. Wappelhorst
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/nhcoll-l/attachments/20251215/881f5481/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 23483 bytes
Desc: image001.png
URL: <http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/nhcoll-l/attachments/20251215/881f5481/attachment.png>