Methods of preparing skeletal specimens according to the size of animals for use as teaching materials.

Abstract

It is important for students to study the skeletal structure for understanding morphology, function, classification and development of vertebrate.　However, almost all junior high schools have few skeletal specimens and there are few guides to make them for junior high school teachers.　In this study, I tried to show the effective methods to make the skeletal specimens.　Animals were classified into three groups of “small” (less than 500 g body weight), “medium” (between 500 g and 1.0 kg) and “large” (more than 1.0 kg) for convenience.　The protease method (PM) and the detergent for pipe drainage method (DPDM) were applied to each group.　Although PM was able to remove soft tissues within a short period (2-9 hours) in “large”, the bones tended to be deteriorated.　It should be noted that the preparation of specimens with PM was difficult in “small”. However, ultimately, soft tissue could not be completely removed from “small” and “large” with DPDM.　In consequence, it was suggested that PM was useful for “large”, whereas DPDM was suitable for “small”.　For “medium”, the parallel method, in which the vertebral and extremities parts were treated with PM, and the costal and foot parts were treated with DPDM, was suitable.