Taxidermy for the Sake of Science

By Lindsay Cusworth

Standing in front of the large Alaskan moose located in the Bean Museum, 10-year-old Kevin Zivic, visiting from Argentina, stands with open mouth and eyes wide.

'This animal is so big,' he said. 'If I could see it in real life, I would want to ride it.'

The mounted figure of the Alaskan moose was brought to life for Kevin. He was visiting the museum with a family friend and said he was learning a lot, mainly because the animals looked incredibly real. This was his first time seeing animals in this type of setting.

Kevin Zivic was right. People can learn a lot about animals through the process and artistic work of taxidermy.

'People can benefit from the death of an animal in an educational way,' said Wesley 'Skip' Skidmore, assistant curator of animals at the museum.

Why not just study a picture? Skidmore said a spectator will learn plenty more from looking at a mounted moose than by merely looking at a photograph of one.

'It shows you color, size, texture and shape. It describes the animal in a visual way,' he said. 'It''s in your face. There is no forgetting how big an Alaskan moose is.'

The look on Kevin Zivic''s face proved this point. In fact, the young boy stood only half as tall as the moose realistically standing in front of him.

Skidmore has worked at BYU for 29 years and started as a student before the Bean Museum existed. He is an expert on taxidermy and has spent a great deal of time learning and studying the behaviors of various animals.

The Alaskan moose is the largest member of the deer family in North America, and Skidmore has had experiences in the wild with them.

'I have observed them and have been with them,' he said. 'They are very vocal. They make an almost belching sound during rutting season. They are quiet and secretive but also in your face. I have seen them disappear into shrubbery, and I just can''t believe how something that large could disappear like that.'

Taxidermy literally means the arrangement of skin. The process includes preserving the skin and arranging it in a way to look pleasing to the eye.

Catalogues offer Styrofoam molds of animal bodies, allowing for many different positions. A moose could be shaped in a running position, a standing position or even have one of its hind legs lifted. Many different and creative positions are available.

After the skin is prepared and the mold is ready, special glue, made of ground up paper pulp, is used to attach the skin to the mold.

Preserving specimens has been a successful way to learn about the animals biologically. DNA samples can teach about how animals are genetically linked.

'Taxidermy is not only a way to make nice exhibits used to teach,' Skidmore said. 'But it is also a way to preserve the animals biologically.'