11.
Coat the entire skull with
Aquadhere glue (slightly diluted
with water) using a small, soft
brush. This will give the skull a
natural-looking lustre and will
also strengthen the entire struc-
ture.
5.
12.
Mounting of the skull is op-
tional but I highly recommended
that at least some cover is pro-
vided to prevent dust settling on
the bones, and to give it some
physical protection.
Note: there is lot of trial & error involved
but once you get the hang of it, you can
process a snake head into a skull in one day
(plus drying and coating). Whole skeletons
can also be prepared using this chemical
technique but it is quite involved, and re-
quires suitable hardware (large containers,
platforms, etc.), as well as a lot of
chemicals.
6.
B. Skull or skeleton preparation using dermestid beetles.
The members of the family Dermestidae are known by a variety of common names including skin beetles and
larder beetles. These small beetles (generally not much more than a centimetre in length) are typically scaven-
gers, and feed upon dead organic material. Some species are useful in forensic entomology, as the stage of
development or level of infestation in a carcass can help to determine time of death. Dermestid beetles are also
employed by taxidermists and museums to pick clean bones and skeletons.
1.
Set up a colony of
dermestid beetles, making
sure that it contains not
only adult beetles but also
plenty of larvae. Care sheets
are readily available on the
internet but you may have
shop around for an appro-
priate supplier of beetles.
2.
Use only skulls that
haven't been preserved in
3.