Blue-tongued skink skeleton

Some time ago I was asked by a french veterinarian to clean and articulate a complete blue-tongued skink skeleton (Tiliqua scincoides). The specimen had been autopsied, and the ribcage was damaged in the process. It was not in very good condition when I got it, especially the tail which was badly decomposed. For some reason the last caudal vertebrae had turned soft and spongy, and I could not save them, not sure what caused this. Here are a few pictures of the articulation process.

Sorting out the ribs

Almost done.

Finished skeleton

I usually reconstruct the sternal ribs using wire, but in this case I decided against it since most of the sternal region was missing in the first place (interclavicle, sternum, xiphisternum and sternal ribs were mostly destroyed during the autopsy). I did however reconstruct the missing suprascapulae and am rather pleased with how they turned out.

Here are a couple of pictures of the finished skeleton:

Dorsal view

The yellow spot on the hands and feet are remaining ligaments that didn't whiten very well.

Overall a very cool skeleton to work on, looking a bit like a reptilian version of the daschund.