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Mammal Specimen Preparation Guide
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Before cutting, take the following measurements:
1. (TL) Total Length 2. (TV) Tail Vertebrae 3. (HF) Hind Foot 4. (E) Ear 5. (WT) Weight in grams
Notes:
Use chinchilla dust to dry out skin. Use cob dry to soak up extraneous
body fluids.
Mammal Specimen Preparation Guide
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1. Grab skin with forceps to cut without breaking
peritoneum.
2. Using forceps or fingers, loosen the skin from
the peritoneum.
3. Loosen the skin from the peritoneum of the
left upper leg.
4. If preparing a skin and skeleton specimen, pull
left leg out completely,
5. Loosen skin from the peritoneum in right leg
to keep with skin.
6. Cut right hind leg at joint and remove
excess muscle.
Mammal Specimen Preparation Guide
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7. If male, remove baculum from skin; otherwise,
loosen all skin to tail.
8. Loosen skin around tail. Cut rectum, saving skin
and skeleton.
9. Use fingernails or forceps to pull tail bones
from tail skin.
10. Peel skin forward to remove arms without
breaking peritoneum.
11. Cut front right leg at joint and remove
excess muscle.
12. Move forward and clear flesh from ears
to cut at the ear canal.
Mammal Specimen Preparation Guide
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13. Cut at ear canal laying scissors flat to skull to
get a clean cut.
14. Pull skin forward and cut ligament at back of
eye socket.
15. Keep scissors flat to skull and cut connective
tissue around eye.
16. Pull skin forward and cut between upper and
lower back jaw.
17. Cut connective tissue of lower jaw in front of
teeth.
18. After separating upper and lower jaw, cut
cartilage at nose.
Mammal Specimen Preparation Guide
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19. Roll cotton, clamp in forceps, and cut excess
to a point for skin.
20. Insert cotton to nose of inverted skin. Roll skin
over cotton.
21. Cut off excess cotton, leaving cotton to length
of skin.
22. Using forceps, pull skin and push excess cotton
within skin.
23. Make sure cotton is completely within skin,
except for opening.
24. Insert wire into the front leg, pushing wire to tip
of middle toe.
Mammal Specimen Preparation Guide
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25. Insert wire into the hind leg, pushing wire to tip
of middle toe.
26. Roll thin layer of cotton on wire to mimic
tail size and insert.
27. Sew opening using baseball stitch, trying not to
catch excess hair. Sew mouth shut at three points, tighten, knot and cut excess.
28. Fill out skin tag, tie on right hind leg, and
cut excess thread.
29. Shape, pin, and brush specimen to dry with
life-like quality.
30. If indicated, take organ tissue specimens.