2023 Volume 65 Issue 1 Pages 2-17
This study examined 731 old stuffed mammal and bird specimens preserved in 14 high schools in Chiba, Shizuoka, Osaka, and Fukuoka prefectures. We analyzed these specimens’ educational needs based on the laws, textbooks, and other documents of the time and discussed their future use. Survey findings showed that many specimens have been purchased since around 1900. Although the specimens served the purpose of obtaining an accurate conception through the observation of actual objects, it is assumed that they were actually used to visually corroborate textbook descriptions. However, the 1942 revision of junior high school teaching guidelines changed the taxonomic groups covered in textbooks from the order to the class level, and the content was also changed to highlight the ecology and physiology of organisms. As a result, teachers no longer held classes to check morphology using the specimens of each order, and schools no longer purchased such specimens. Currently, the science section of the high school curriculum guidelines lacks content pertaining to the order-level classification of mammals and birds, and students have no opportunity to use the remaining specimens for taxonomic studies. However, many of these specimens are rare and difficult to acquire because their trade is regulated by the Act on the Conservation of Endangered Species, CITES, and others, so they are expected to be used as educational materials when considering biodiversity conservation and ecosystem conservation.
