I, too, had an adventure dissecting a Great Horned Owl. Not to be innappropriately gross, but it was for a bone, or osteo museum. They are roughly constructed birds for cold temperate climates. I gave up trying to remove the skin after the feathers. It is tenacious attached to their bones. We gave up on the Turkey Vultures for the same reason, and buried them hoping that bugs and worms would "clean" the bones, in subsurface wooden compartments made by the college maintenance department. Smelling too bad, maintenance eventually had to throw them out. One of our more embarrassingly unsuccessful endeavors. Birds are tough.
They're the beetles used by many museums to eat everything but the bones when a skull or skeleton is needed. They belong to the family Dermestidae. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermestidae>
I always love how you make everything a teachable moment for kids.
Yes!
I, too, had an adventure dissecting a Great Horned Owl. Not to be innappropriately gross, but it was for a bone, or osteo museum. They are roughly constructed birds for cold temperate climates. I gave up trying to remove the skin after the feathers. It is tenacious attached to their bones. We gave up on the Turkey Vultures for the same reason, and buried them hoping that bugs and worms would "clean" the bones, in subsurface wooden compartments made by the college maintenance department. Smelling too bad, maintenance eventually had to throw them out. One of our more embarrassingly unsuccessful endeavors. Birds are tough.
Why didn't you try Dermestid beetles?
Didn't know what they were in 1991,; I guess Dan didn't either. I still don't. What are they? Inter
E
Sting.
They're the beetles used by many museums to eat everything but the bones when a skull or skeleton is needed. They belong to the family Dermestidae. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermestidae>
Beautiful story, Chickadee, had my eyes filling with tears. And then with the kids, sigh.