The Art of Articulation: Building Skeletons
Where do these skeletons come from? How are they prepared?
Pick Up (2023) by Skulls Unlimited InternationalMuseum of Osteology
Step one is picking up the specimen
After an animal pass away at a zoo, aquarium, wildlife center, or nature preserve, the animal is donated to the museum. The animal can either be sent to our Processing Division in Oklahoma City, OK or it is collected in person by one of our trained technicians.
Cleaning Right Whale (2010) by Skulls Unlimited InternationalMuseum of Osteology
Step two is removing the flesh
After the animal reaches the processing center at Skulls Unlimited, the animal is prepared for flensing, or flesh removal. Skulls Unlimited is the parent company of the museum. They clean and supply specimens to many medical, veterinary, zoological, and forensic institutions.
Mass Tissue Removal (2011) by Skulls Unlimited InternationalMuseum of Osteology
Factors influencing cleaning
Some bones are too big to be cleaned by beetles. There are several different methods used to remove tissue. The most common method we use is manual removal followed by the beetles. actors to consider in processing are the age of the animal, size, and current state of decomposition.
Step three involves live flesh-eating beetles. After flensing, the bones are put into tanks with dermestid beetles. These flesh eating beetles only eat carrion (dead animals), they are nature's cleaners! They don't harm the bone or anything living, which makes them perfect for cleaning bones.
Whitened Bones (2020) by Skulls Unlimited InternationalMuseum of Osteology
Step four is chemically whitening the bones
After the bones have no traces of flesh or cartilage, they are then put in a special solution consisting of hydrogen peroxide to whiten and sanitize. This process oxygenates the bones leaving them clean, white, and ready for display.
SUI Articulation with Joey Villemarette (2010) by Skulls Unlimited InternationalMuseum of Osteology
Step five is skeletal articulation
All the individual bones are then inventoried and reassembled by hand. We call this process articulation. Our articulators have an advanced knowledge of anatomy to drill, wire, glue, and position each bone back together. Each skeleton takes a minimum of 15 hours to assemble.
Large skeletons contain internal rods and a framework must be custom welded to support the limbs, ribcage, spine, and skull.
Jay Villemarette and Articulated African Elephant Skeleton (2010) by Skulls Unlimited InternationalMuseum of Osteology
The final product
After all those steps, the museum gets a brand-new specimen to display and for guests to enjoy. Guests are encouraged to touch and examine our articulated skeletons on display.
An Articulators Job (2010) by Skulls Unlimited InternationalMuseum of Osteology
An articulator's work is never finished
New specimens continue to be donated to the museum's comparative collection, which includes around 8,000 total specimens, representing over 1,500 species. Each day, our team at Skull Unlimited works to preserve these skeletons and produce the best articulations in the world.
The Museum of Osteology
Interested in Natural history?
Get updates with your personalized Culture Weekly
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.