Suburban Taxidermy, Part II: Dissecting in the Dark
After the Great Chipmunk Adventure, I have apparently become that friend who collects roadkill. I had a message on the phone yesterday from Paula telling me she’d found a dead squirrel in great condition and had it in her trunk for me!
This is not to mention PisecoSis, who is in the process of preserving a bat hide for me and has a swallow in her freezer.
But of course - I’m thrilled. We don’t have a borrowed collection to rival Theresa’s, but we are slowly amassing our own nature study collection!
To preserve the stomach of anyone who may be coming across this post while munching on a midnight snack… I’m putting our pictures behind the cut.
WARNING! THIS POST IS NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH!
Here is the squirrel in his tray this afternoon.
JediBoy was eager to get started dissecting, but we discovered that the cheap dollar store tools we had weren’t going to do the trick. He had to be satisfied with some up close inspecting of the outside of the squirrel.
BabyGirl was also interested in the “earl” but seemed to remember from this summer that critters lying in a dish are to be waved at, talked to, but not touched.
I spent a few minutes taking some pictures of the paws and tail.
What made the squirrel more interesting than the chipmunk was that it was intact. The chipmunk had, we think, been hit by a car or bike and was in pretty ripped up condition. The squirrel merited actual dissection, at least to the best of our low ability! On the way to karate, we swung by the university book store to pick up a student’s dissection kit, and we did take our time this evening opening him up.
JediBoy was so interested in what we were revealing, and helped out and held most of the interesting bits to examine them more closely. Tonight he held, in his six-year-old hand,
intestines,
the stomach,
a kidney just the size and shape of a kidney bean,
a rib cage,
and a tiny but perfect heart.
Our dissection was eventually called due to darkness. JediBoy is eager to continue tomorrow. He would really like me to be able to tan the hide all as one piece so we could perhaps stuff it and sew it back up. So far, I’ve been able to follow his wishes but I’m not sure that I’ll be able to finesse the head and limbs. Wish me luck!
October 7th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
That is more of a squirrel than I ever wanted to see! *LOL!* I never thought I’d be virtual buddies with “the friend who collects roadkill.”
Looks like he did a good job. How did he learn how to do it properly? I am petrified of dissection.
October 7th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Ok wow! people have said in the past that I am brave for letting the kids paint in the living room. But wow. I have never thought of letting the kids dissect some road kill. MAYBE when they are older. I mean that Gabe would no be as good as BabyGirl on not touching. The boy likes to put his fingers in his mouth alot to, ewwww. For now thank you for the inspiration on projects that the kids can do in the future, very far in the future.
October 8th, 2008 at 7:14 am
I’m with Heather on this one — this is way in the future for us. My 6yo still puts his fingers in his mouth…
October 8th, 2008 at 8:06 am
I still can’t believe how intact the squirrel was. He was near the middle of the road, where cars easily missed him. I’m still wondering exactly what happened that left him so intact. Was there even a point of contact from a vehicle or a fall? Didn’t appear so to me (except for his eye?). I would love if you’d save me something from him- a bone would be enough. Ben liked looking at him in the bag, but when I mentioned these photos his look of shock and horror was something to behold, lol.
October 8th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Wow! I think you may have a future doctor on your hands if JediBoy is interested in dissecting to see internal organs at the young age of 6!
Thanks for your comment on my FREE hair bow giveaway post. The triple stack Halloween one is one of my favorites too!
Check back on Saturday morning when I’ll announce the winner.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Wow! You did a really nice job with that!!! If you need to borrow any equipment, just let me know..
October 10th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Your post made me laugh, with everyone collecting roadkill for you. And Carbon thinks the pictures of the squirrel are “gross!” and “ewww!” and “really cool”.