Wet Preservation

When I think of suitable ways to preserve mammals, wet preservation (detailed here) isn't the first method that comes to mind. While alcohol and formalin are the preservatives of choice for invertebrates, fish, and herptiles, wet preservation does have its place in the mammal division, as well. For one, it's extremely useful for pickling small animals, such as bats and mice. When I visited the mammal division's fluids range last week, I marveled at just how many bats or mice could be crammed into a single Ball jar.

Another forte of wet preservation is its ability to preserve animal fetuses, which tend to be extremely fragile.

Oddly enough, many of the wet-preserved animals seemed more peaceful than their taxidermy counterparts.

In a matter of weeks, all of these specimens will be moved off-site, for safety purposes. I feel lucky that I had the chance to see and photograph them.