Ocelot: the evolution of taxidermy

The two mounted ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) demonstrate that taxidermy has come a long way and that there is a huge difference between the stuffed creatures from the 18th and 19th centuries and the masterful, anatomically correct modern-day museum exhibits. The taxidermist who mounted the first ocelot in 1818 had never seen a live ocelot and had nothing but the skin and a few sketches of the animal, lacking basic anatomical knowledge. Gerhard Schröder in 1934, on the other hand, mounted the second specimen, having studied live animals. He also had the dead animal, complete with muscles and skeleton, at his disposal and was thus able to create a masterful, anatomically correct taxidermy that gives an impression of the live animal.