[Nhcoll-l] Lizard Hatchling and Egg Preparation

[Sariah Rushing]

Hello,
We recently obtained a deceased, unhatched western fence lizard hatchling
with the eggshell cut open from our wildlife hospital. Our goal for this
specimen is to utilize it for exhibit purposes, potentially for teaching
opportunities, and I am working towards making our collection more
accessible for research purposes as well. That being said, I would love any
advice on potential ways to prepare this specimen.

I know generally wet preparation would be the ideal method to preserve a
small specimen like this. That being said, we do not have the materials or
the correct type of storage space to do this. I would like to use the
freeze-drying method, but the Bay Area (California) seems not to have many
taxidermists. Others I have asked have the same problem, where the
taxidermists we have used in the past are either retiring or not
responsive. I know it's not considered the proper way to freeze-dry, but
there is a way to do it with a frost-free freezer, which I have on-site. I
have never done the freezer method myself. I know this method can work, as
I have some specimens in the frost-free freezer that were utilized for this
purpose by a previous collector, though there are no notes as to who this
was. I don't know if anyone has tried this before and could offer
guidance, or could share other ways to potentially prep this specimen
in-house.

Thank you,


*Sariah Rushing*

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Natural History Collections Specialist

Lindsay Wildlife Experience

*Celebrating 70 Years Wild!*

925-627-2937 | srushing at lindsaywildlife.org

193
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