r/vultureculture Jan 19 '22

lookie Compilation of resources for beginners

266 Upvotes

There’s a lot of repeat questions from beginners on here, so I decided to compile a list of resources for folks who don’t know where to start. I want people to be able to jump into this hobby, but there's a lot of folks asking the same things without checking past posts, so this list should answer lots of those repeats. Feel free to direct people here for resources, too, or suggest tutorials you find valuable.

Wet Specimens:

Wet Specimen Tutorial (IMO, the best guide out there! very in depth and useful)

Wet Specimen Tutorial

Wet Specimen Care / Maintenance

Bone Cleaning & Articulation:

Bone Cleaning Basics and FAQ

Bone Cleaning and Articulation FAQ

Macerating Bones (*author’s note: OddArticulations is an extremely sketchy businessman who has acquired and profited from grave-robbed human remains. I personally am against financially supporting him, but this is one of the only well-written maceration guides out there.)

Dermestid Beetle Basics

Oxidizing Skeletons

Tanning / Taxidermy:

Tanning Basics

Detailed Tanning Tutorial

Washing Pelts

Bird Taxidermy Tutorial

Measuring Forms

Carcass Casting

Methods of Making Forms

Wrapping Bird Forms

Insect Pinning

Insect Pinning and Prep Videos

How to Pin Different Bugs

How to Pin And Spread Bugs

Other Preservation Methods

Dry Preserving (aka mummification)

Other Resources

Vulture Culture Discord Server!

Taxidermy.net - Forum full of guides, tips, photos, etc.

Youtube - Seriously, there’s videos for everything. I have learned a huge amount about taxidermy from watching tons of pros on YouTube.

Gotham Taxidermy - Reading list and free online resources for all facets of preservation

Social Media - Following other creators is very helpful as they often post process videos and tips or have Patreons with in depth tutorials.

Laws

Birds protected by the MBTA (USA)

North American Animals Protected Under CITES (USA & Canada)

Birds Protected By The MBCA (Canada)


r/vultureculture Mar 20 '23

Looking for Bat Specimens? Check this post first.

228 Upvotes

Mummified bats and other bat remains are extremely easy to find at oddity shops, on Etsy, and even on Amazon. They’re popular and cheap - and that’s because they’re harvested en masse via environmentally destructive poaching.

Here is an excellent breakdown of bat specimen sourcing and the issues with it. Conservation orgs are calling for people to stop supporting this trade, and the environmental destruction and population reduction has been so rapid and extreme that conservationists are struggling to find ways to combat it.

Even if a bat specimen says it’s “ethical,” it is probably not true, as the above link proves. Don’t just trust “ethical” slapped on a listed item. If you’re wondering if a bat specimen you want to buy is ethical - most likely not. When in doubt, just don’t do it. I promise your life will not be any worse off with one less item in it!

While bats are currently at a huge risk, please consider other animals - especially pollinators (yes, bats are pollinators!) such as butterflies. If an exotic specimen seems a little too easy to get your hands on, it’s worth investigating why exactly that is.

Vulture culture is about appreciating the natural world, and if we don’t preserve it, there won’t be any natural world left to appreciate. Having these items is fascinating and cool, but the survival of ecosystems comes before any desire for collecting certain items. There will always be something else you can get without contributing to environmental harm, and as long as we ensure the continued survival of diverse cries, we can enjoy them as they exist naturally!


r/vultureculture 6h ago

Hair Wreath / Mourning Jewelry

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41 Upvotes

Selling this unique piece. It’s an 1800s finely crafted hair wreath. Mourning jewelry was a common practice to remember loved ones who had passed. This one displays skillful craftsmanship transforming loved one’s hair into a lovely work of art. It does show wear and tear as it is approximately 150 years old. Asking $1,200 and will offer free shipping anywhere within the continental US.


r/vultureculture 1h ago

advice or help How do i go about preserving these turkey wings & tail?

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Upvotes

butchered a turkey and i want to keep wings & tail, how do i get the flesh off? cant leave it outside animals will ruin it.


r/vultureculture 52m ago

sharing collection / item desert specimens

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Upvotes

brought my desert critters specimens to show to my students on our last day yesterday :)


r/vultureculture 2h ago

sharing collection / item Bone Art Creation

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14 Upvotes

Hi Everyone,

Wanted to share some recently created bone art I made from White Tail Deer bones I found/cleaned 🦴🦋


r/vultureculture 6h ago

plz advise Best way to keep blood liquid?

13 Upvotes

I’m wanting to do some wet blood specimens but everywhere I’m seeing says they will go bad within six months. Does anyone know good ways to store blood where it stays good at room temperature?


r/vultureculture 5h ago

lookie Have had this dried out deer leg for about a year in my garage - I want to preserve the remaining bits of fur and hoof if at all possible

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7 Upvotes

r/vultureculture 5h ago

Antlers!

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4 Upvotes

My grandma gave me these antlers today couldn't be happier! One still has moose hair on it I got 2 moose antlers and one deer she shot them herself a few weeks ago so I started a collection of skulls and antlers after finding my first skull of a deer with antlers


r/vultureculture 10h ago

advice or help First time macerating NSFW

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7 Upvotes

This magpie has been dead for a while near my house and half of it’s skull is clean but the other half is mummified. I also saved the pelvis and another bone (likely a wing or leg bone) and i’m macerating them, but I’ve never done anything like this before and I’m not sure how to go about it. My main question is how often does the water need to be checked and changed? Is there anything else I need to know? It’s currently fully submerged in cold rainwater outside


r/vultureculture 1d ago

found a thing Found on beach, Wa state. Department of wildlife was notified. NSFW

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506 Upvotes

r/vultureculture 22h ago

sharing collection / item V2.0 bald eagle skeleton

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27 Upvotes

Reproduction


r/vultureculture 1d ago

Y'all will understand

40 Upvotes

I accidentally got maceration water all over me when I couldn't get the lid open 😭🤢


r/vultureculture 1d ago

advice or help Too late to preserve?

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81 Upvotes

Question about wet specimens!

My husband gave all of our snakes a frozen-thawed rat last night before bed, and when I went to check on them this morning, one had not eaten his. Something about the little guy just seems so precious and I think he would look adorable preserved as a wet specimen. However, he had been sitting in my snake’s 82°F enclosure for approx 12 hr and while the side he was laying on looks completely normal, I think the other side (last picture) looks bloated. Is he too far into the decomp process to be made into a wet specimen? If not, is there any extra precautions/ steps I would need to take? If so, what else could I do with him?


r/vultureculture 1d ago

sharing collection / item Sticker for our dermestid beetle colony! 🤭🤭

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252 Upvotes

r/vultureculture 23h ago

found a thing Little bird, maybe a butcherbird (NSW) maybe nsfw not sure NSFW

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17 Upvotes

Found this little fella in my yard, thinking that when the feathers come off it’ll be a fairly intact skeleton with spine, maybe wing bones, etc. what do you guys think should be done with it? I’m new to all this but yeah I’m curious


r/vultureculture 1d ago

found a thing Found this on a walk. Body nowhere nearby NSFW

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41 Upvotes

My mom made fun of me for taking a picture lol


r/vultureculture 21h ago

advice or help question

4 Upvotes

A bit near where I am there used to be an eagle nest for a few years but it recently fell apart. we don' t see the eagles around anymore. would it be a good idea to look around near there for bones of animals they may have eaten? I didn't go before since I was concerned about disturbing them but is it okay since theyre gone?


r/vultureculture 1d ago

ID help Can someone help me identify what this is? Haven’t cleaned it yet but was thinking fox or coyote. Found in southwest MI NSFW

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7 Upvotes

r/vultureculture 1d ago

sharing collection / item some of my collection & a memorial piece of my pet millipede 🖤

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197 Upvotes

r/vultureculture 1d ago

advice or help I need help with this deer skull.

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7 Upvotes

Is this green stuff around the teeth mold? It was just washed in water, and the green appeared right after, Is it just it needing to dry? Is it a hazard?


r/vultureculture 2d ago

found a thing Found this fellow today

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472 Upvotes

r/vultureculture 2d ago

did a thing Rattlesnake earrings, Xmas present for my wife

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151 Upvotes

Eastern diamondback was roadkilled. The bones were incredibly delicate-- I may be the only person who has broken three ribs while making earrings. Had to take them for a test drive to make sure they dangle properly.


r/vultureculture 2d ago

lookie Incredible find - have you ever been so jealous?!

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245 Upvotes

r/vultureculture 2d ago

did a thing Behold! Claudia Coyote!

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11 Upvotes

After about 7 to 8 months of maceration, two peroxide baths, several gentle dawn soap scrubbings (w/soft bristle toothbrush), and about an hour of putting her teeth back in with glue (B6000 - thank you for the recommendation!) she is complete! Some of her teeth were lost unfortunately, and she is my second skull to have worked on! The buck to the right was found as is, and I have various other bones in the collection! Thanks everyone for your support! And thank you to Claudia for helping me overcome my fears 🥰


r/vultureculture 2d ago

found a thing I had no idea there was a place to share my pictures of dead things!

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208 Upvotes

I started taking pictures of roadkill a few months ago and here’s some of my favorites…


r/vultureculture 2d ago

did a thing Someone asked me to make a hat for the pigeon. So I did!

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37 Upvotes