How to prepare an edible dormouse
Taxidermist Derek Frampton demonstrates how to prepare a glis glis, edible dormouse, skin. WARNING: This video shows an animal being skinned. It may not be suitable for young or sensitive viewers.
Preserving animals to make them appear lifelike is called taxidermy. It stops the animals from decomposing and shows us how they may have looked when they were alive. This gives people the chance to see them close up and get an idea of their size and shape, or the texture of their feathers or fur.
All these advantages help scientists to describe different species. The Natural History Museum at Tring has outstanding examples of 19th century taxidermy and modern taxidermy as well.
Toolbox
In 2003 nearly 12,000 scientists from over 60 countries came to work at the Museum.