Archive for the ‘Shellfish’ Category

Lobster Taxidermy Diagram

The following process is detailed below for using a lobster for taxidermy.

1. Firstly and most obviously the animal should be dead and a specimen which has not been eaten and therefore does not have any cracked shells. If the animal is alive it can be easily killed by placing it in a large pot of water that is already boiling. Within 5 minutes you can take the animal out as after this time it will definitely have died. The lobster can then be placed in a cold jug of water so it can be soon handled.
2. The back of the lobster known as the carapax can be cut away using some strong metal tools by leveraging the edges. The flesh can then be removed or eaten. Keep this shell for later use.
3. The same process should be applied to the abdomen.
4. Next is the goal of fleshing out the legs, which can be fairly fiddly. You will need to have a wire with you. This wire should then be inserted into the legs, which can be done by placing it between the joints of the legs or the claws. The lobster flesh should then be thoroughly scraped out using this wire. A syringe should then be used to clean out the remains of the flesh from the legs.
5. The same process should be done with both of the large claws. This should be much easier to do after you have operated on the small legs.
6. The lobster should then be placed in taxidermy preserving chemicals for a period of time.
7. Another wire (not the scraping wire but a modelling wire) should now be inserted back into the legs and the claws so that the animal can be moved and modelled. This should stop the animals from becoming loose. These wires can be inserted and exited from beneath the lobster.
8. Bend the wires until the desired shape or pose of the lobster is made.
9. Then pour plaster of Paris into the holes of the lobster and wait for it to harden.
10. Place the lobsters shell which was earlier removed back onto the lobster and glue it into place.
11. Glue any of the remaining parts which are still loose and position the claws using the wires again if necessary.
12. If mounting on a base or stand then you may also wish to wire the claws and body of the lobster down by wiring the underside.
13. Finally and optionally, find another lobster specimen and use this as a guide for colouring and painting in the taxidermied lobster that you have just created.

If you found this helpful and are interested in other types of taxidermy then check out the latest book on taxidermy called:  Taxidermy Made Easy – Click here to find out more!