The word taxidermy comes from the word that, in Greek, meant “arrangement of skin”. It involves mounting, stuffing or reproducing dead animals in order to display them. The places in which they are displayed usually are rooms where the animals are presented as trophies. But taxidermy can also be engaged by scientists so that further study of the animal can be made, without needing the real thing in the room.

Taxidermy first was reported in the Victorian era. This is because humans needed to feel superior to animals and the stuffed animals were used as pieces of decor and design for the interiors of palaces and nobles’ houses. Also, leathers, furs and hides were greatly demanded in that time, so taxidermy took swooping interest in almost everybody who could afford it. When the 19^th century came, accents were starting to be put on businesses. Tanneries and hunter’s cabins became more and more self-aware and started displaying their trophies in order to attract clients.

What we know as “stuffed animals” also have their origins in the early 19^th century. People would literary stuff animals’ hides with rags and cotton. These were the first steps towards the modern taxidermy activity. James L. Clark, William T. Hornaday, Coleman Jonas, Carl Akeley, Fredrick and William Kaempfer, and Leon Pray dominated the taxidermy art in the early 20^th century, bringing innovations such as wires used to hold the animals in position.

Today there are few professional taxidermists who take pride and even earn a living through their occupation. This is because mounted animals have pretty much gone out of style when it comes to decorating homes.

In the early stages of taxidermy, hunted animals were used almost exclusively. This is because the prized animals were sought after by royalty and nobility in the Victorian age. Hunters were paid to stuff their most prized catches and present them to the buyers.

Taxidermy animals mostly involve the use of large vertebrates, mostly mammals. This is because their skin is easier to preserve and they often are spectacular specimens. For example, the US taxidermy industry is focused on the mounting of bears. More than one factor contribute to what animals are used – popularity of the species and hunting restrictions, for example.

Also, due to the size of most mammals, it is easier to create good replicas of their bodies, hence use them as taxidermy animals. It is important to keep in mind that only the skin is used in taxidermy – the flesh and most of the bones (apart from the skull and maybe the hind legs) are of no use. The body needs to be recreated as a manikin in order to mount the skin on it. The manikin can be made out of a lot of materials – wool is mainly used. A mold can be made after the body and clay can be fit into the mold so that the result will be an exact replica of the animal.

Fish can also be mounted – although it is more complicated due to the nature of their skin and scales. Pets are commonly mounted in order to preserve their bodies for the family or person they belonged to. In order to do that, freezing dry is used, although it is expensive and time consuming – but you can not have enough when it comes to your best friend, right?