Common smooth-hound (Mustelus mustelus) skeleton.
And now a bunch of WIP pictures:
Tail region during the initial dissection. The fins were eventually detached for the body, but it is important to know their precise location along the vertebral axis first.
Head region, the same careful dissection is performed before separating the following "units": skull and jaws/gills (this is the tricky part)/dorsal fin/scapulocoracoid/pectoral fins.
Cleaned parts in ethanol prior to drying. Despite the small size of the specimen, I still took the skeleton apart in more manageable pieces to monitor carefully the drying process.
Sclerotic capsules, dorsal fin, tail, scapulocoracoid, neurocranium and part of the vertebral column during the drying process.
Gills ready for drying. This was the most difficult part to work with, and I could not get them fully intact.
Assembly of the skeleton, here a ventral view of the neurocranium and gills.
Above view. The scleral capsules have been added. A carefully bent brass rod is used as attachment and support for the scapulocoracoid cartilage.
Scapulocoracoid cartilage and pectoral fins added.
Dorsal fin ready to be attached to the skeleton. I used brass wire of
different gauges for everything, but I'm toying with the idea of
incorporating clear acrylic in the next one I prepare.
Getting there...
Pelvic fin ready to be attached. A thin brass rod is fastened on the underside of the puboischiadic bar.
Finished skeleton, waiting to be mounted on its stand.
Display stand in progress. I wanted to avoid the usual two support rods for something more original. My original idea completely failed, but then I was suggested to recreate the outline of the shark body using the wire, and I really liked the idea, and think it turned out really nicely. I had to add an additional support rod at the front though, a single central rod was not enough, and I placed it too far back on the stand, meaning it didn't look quite right if alone.
Various views of the finished skeleton.
Really enjoyed working on this specimen, which was a fantastic learning experience. Of course it is far from perfect, but I'm looking forward to correct those mistakes on the next specimen I do.
