#moorelab

[preytaxidermy]

Here are some snaps from LA Science Weekend; an event by the New York Times & Atlas Obscura Society.

I was honored to be doing a workshop alongside the Moore Lab of Zoology about taxidermy for research and display. The guests were so fun and had so many great questions!

Also, I love working with the crew from the Moore Lab because it gives me the opportunity to ask my many bird questions to actual scientists. Getting an accurate piece of taxidermy is all about capturing natural behaviors and taxonomy.

Our Hummingbird cases from the Huntington exhibit even got to come out for an evening at the Line Hotel.

Did I mention we got to go to a Dino soirée at my alma mater, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles?

A very doable weekend!

[angelica-arcia]

Heya! Haven’t posted in a long while. Here’s some practice with expressions featuring Nikki(bunny girl) and Artemis. Artemis was originally designed by my friend MissMalo over on deviantart.

[afterlifeanatomy]

An adorable curious looking ratty from class today at the Moore Laboratory of Zoology at Occidental College in Los Angeles! Thank you to everyone who came out, to James, and to @allis for helping today ❤️😊 #moorelab #moorelabofzoology #losangeles #occidentalcollege #taxidermy #taxidermyclasses #taxidermyclass #taxidermyworkshop #taxidermyteacher #taxidermyinstruction #learntaxidermy #zoology #biology #preservation #katieinnamorato #afterlifeanatomy #dissection #oddities #taxidermyinstructor #taxidermist #taxidermyinstruction #taxidermyworkshops www.Afterlifeanatomy.com afterlifeanatomy(at)gmail.com (at Moore Laboratory of Zoology)

[dapperdove]

Eggs-cellent.

[margaretgallagher]

Bird after bird: a visit to the Moore Lab of Zoology at Occidental College

I visited the Moore Laboratory of Zoology at Occidental with David today. I was met by director John McCormack (who invited me there after seeing my artwork on the Occidental banners) and James (can’t remember his last name), two boyish scientists with kind faces and outdoorsy brown beards. Their enthusiasm for their field and their passion for birds was infectious and set the tone for the magic of the lab.

A drawer of Mexican cotingas

They showed us around the small lab and specimen cabinets, pulling out drawer after drawer of bird skins (as they called them, rather than stuffed birds). The birds are preserved by cutting open their bodies in several places, removing the insides and taking some tissue samples, cleaning some of the bones and replacing them, and filling the rest with cotton.

Starting with brilliant green and blue tanagers, we saw a range of remarkable species. Every single one felt almost transgressive to be able to touch and hold them. It was beyond belief that their brilliant feathers held no wildly beating heart underneath. A number of specimens come from extinct species: the Carolina parakeet, the only parrot native to the US. James told me that their flocks have an unfortunate habit of circling around to see what happened when one of their numbers is shot. They were not meant for this world. I also saw (but couldn’t bring myself to touch) a passager pigeon, and a giant woodpecker that once roamed the alpine pine forests of Mexico (no longer).

James reassured us that collecting specimens (read: shooting birds) has never threatened a species’ survival, is done currently only for specific projects, and is personally heartbreaking. Most of the birds in the lab are from the 1930s-40s, though they look like they were alive yesterday.

James holding a quetzal

The lab has the largest collection of Mexican bird specimens in the world. The majority come from the work of Robert T. Moore and Chester C. Lamb. Moore had a degree in English literature and was a businessman. However, he was passionate about birds. In his biography it was described as “an exceptional amalgam of the poet, the scientist, and the man of affairs.” This was a time when an amateur ornithologist could become just as involved in the field as any professional scientist. Moore took trip after trip to Mexico, the “undiscovered country” of wildlife, collecting specimens.

A royal flycatcher

The lab seems to have a relatively unorganized treasure trove of archival material. Moore kept descriptive journals of his trips (as did Lamb, but being a poet, Moore left more interesting accounts). They contain hand-drawn maps and musical notations of bird songs. They were transcribed and typewritten at some point, and both are kept in binders organized by trip and year. There are also a collection of photographic slides that James said he found under the sink. They are stunning images of birds in the wild, many of them hand-tinted.

One of the hand-tinted slides

There are also some lovely pieces of bird themed artwork on the walls, largely in classical style of natural history illustration. There is not a lot of wall space, but the twists and turns and the rows of cabinets in the specimen rooms provide an interesting spatial experience (I’m thinking about art installation!).

John and James both seem eager to get artists interested in the collection as well as scientists. James lamented that most museums don’t make their collections available to artists, except those doing paintings or drawings for field guides or other scientific purposes. They both made it clear I was welcome to return any time and use any specimens as models or subjects for artwork. I will certainly be back, and I’m contemplating my plan of artistic attack.

[preytaxidermy]

Here’s the Black Chinned Hummingbird I prepped the other day on live-stream. Aaaaand behind him you can see where he’s headed: an upcoming exhibit at the Huntington Library, Visual Voyages. He’ll be there into January as part of a larger display im creating before he reaches his permanent home at the Moore Lab of Zoology. More details to come!

[preytaxidermy]

More collections drawers from @mlzbirds. I could view their gorgeous research collection forever. #ornithology #biology #moorelab #birds #researchcollections #preytaxidermy #allismarkham

[preytaxidermy]

A Broadbill study skin at @mlzbirds I love both the color and the shape of these gorgeous little birds. #ornithology #biology #birds #moorelab #occidentalcollege #allismarkham #preytaxidermy

[preytaxidermy]

Cock of the Rock study skin at the Moore Lab of Zoology. They keep these prepped skins of specimens from all over the world in protected collections for research and education. @mlzbirds #birds #science #ornithology #biology #birdsofinstagram #moorelab #occidentalcollege #preytaxidermy #allismarkham

[preytaxidermy]

Another amazing Hummingbird specimen from the Moore Lab of Zoology.

[preytaxidermy]

Lovely day reviewing the Hummingbird specimens at the Moore Lab. We’ll be collaborating on a very special project soon. Stay tuned!

[dapperdove]

Blue + Green South American birds at the Moore Lab.

[dapperdove]

Hummingbirds.