another croc shot at school this morning

[waruikazi]

We had another croc shot just over the fence from school at recess time today. This one is smaller than the others but was the first of the 4 or so that have been shot to be recovered. Boy was it an interesting morning!!!

I might be able to get some better pics later.

The skull has been donated to the school and i have the job of cleaning it up and piecing it back together. Does anybody have some tips on the best way to do this?

 

[-Katana-]

Dig a hole in a meat ants nest and bury it until it's picked clean.
The ants will clean the brain pan and all those really hard to reach places without damaging it.

 

[byron_moses]

if u can find something big enough just boil it mate

 

[Torah]

Shot ?? when and why ?

 

[melluvssnakes]

Meat ants nest is definitely the way to go

 

[dale1988]

the bigger one in the other thread did they recover its body yet?

 

[saximus]

Gordo that's incredible. One little thing like a faster flowing river and you get inundated with them. Looks like a good shot by the hunter. Nice and clean

 

[waruikazi]

the bigger one in the other thread did they recover its body yet?

No, the flood plain is running like a river so i'm guessing it along with the others have been washed away.

Shot ?? when and why ?

This morning. We don't quite know why, i think it has something to do with the way the water is moving on the floodplain, but there has been a huge number of large crocs moving very very close to residential areas (i had a 3-4m jobbie less than 50m from my back gate last night and several smaller ones). This one just happened to be spotted in the wrong place at the right time.

 

[Waterrat]

It was in very good condition too, looking at the bulky neck. Croc stew for dinner tonight?

 

[waruikazi]

Haha yeah they dragged it off to the meatworks so i doubt this one will go to waste.

 

[-Katana-]

I'd call dibs on that soft belly skin.
I do love croc skin handbags.

 

[waruikazi]

The head has just been returned to us and is sitting in our canteen cool room lol. They must be planning on doing a proper cull because i just got word the the next one shot's whole body will be dontated to the school intact for us to disect and do whatever with.

I'm not real keen on killing any that aren't needed to be shot... but wow this is going to be fun!

 

[Waterrat]

Are you going to be the head pathologist Gordo? It's a wonderful job, especially if left for a day or two. It softens up the tissues, the organs get mushy but the best part is the stomach contents. Bits of old catfish fixed in the rotting sludge - the gastroliths are the more exciting part of the operation. Your students will love it! Don't eat breakfast on the day.

 

[Pythoninfinite]

As someone who was a taxidermist for 30+ years, don't boil the skull - it can decalcify the bones and it will loosen the teeth and any ligamentary connections on the skull. The best thing to do is get a very sharp knife and remove as much meat and tissue as you can, then soak it in just cool water, changing it every 2-3 days until the tissue rots off. Very stinky until the process is almost finished, but should produce a good clean result. Crocs have all that tough connective tissue/skin on their heads and jaws, which you can only remove by rotting it off. Sometimes adding a bit of an enzyme-based washing powder can speed up the process - they begin the process of digesting the tissue fairly quickly (some of you will know how stinky clothes can be if you leave them in the machine and forget them... that's enzyme action and biodegradability!)

Be very careful as the process continues, that you don't lose teeth, or get them mixed up - croc teeth are designed to come out fairly easily, and once the connective tissue in the jaw begins to break down, they will loosen up and drop out.

Let me know how it progresses Gordo, and I can help get a good end product.

Jamie

 

[saximus]

Haha well considering they are waiting for them to bloat and float to the surface before retrieving them I think there would already be some interesting things going on inside. Don't envy you on that part Gordo

 

[Waterrat]

TO speed up the process and also to avoid the smelly side of it, add some KOH (potassium hydroxide) into the water, if you can get some. It will turn the meat into a pink jelly, easy to brush off with a stiff brush. Then rinse it well in clean water.

2bob worth from an amateur taxidermist.

 

[guzzo]

Who is doing all the shooting Gordo?

 

[moosenoose]

Interesting story and pics

 

[Jen]

Dermestid beetles. Same as the museums use.

 

[viridis]

As someone who was a taxidermist for 30+ years, don't boil the skull - it can decalcify the bones and it will loosen the teeth and any ligamentary connections on the skull. The best thing to do is get a very sharp knife and remove as much meat and tissue as you can, then soak it in just cool water, changing it every 2-3 days until the tissue rots off. Very stinky until the process is almost finished, but should produce a good clean result. Crocs have all that tough connective tissue/skin on their heads and jaws, which you can only remove by rotting it off. Sometimes adding a bit of an enzyme-based washing powder can speed up the process - they begin the process of digesting the tissue fairly quickly (some of you will know how stinky clothes can be if you leave them in the machine and forget them... that's enzyme action and biodegradability!)

Be very careful as the process continues, that you don't lose teeth, or get them mixed up - croc teeth are designed to come out fairly easily, and once the connective tissue in the jaw begins to break down, they will loosen up and drop out.

Let me know how it progresses Gordo, and I can help get a good end product.

Jamie

That is a helpful post Jamie,

Will that method work for any animal skull?

Nick