| dc.contributor.author | Roqué Roqué, Laura | ca |
| dc.contributor.author | Del Canto, Irene | ca |
| dc.contributor.author | Carrillo-Ortiz, José | ca |
| dc.contributor.author | Orta Isern, Carles | ca |
| dc.contributor.author | Quesada, Javier | ca |
| dc.contributor.other | Consorci del Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona | ca |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-11-05T13:10:01Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-11-05T13:10:01Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017-10-17 | |
| dc.description | The preparation of animal specimens destined for zoological collection is a key step to ensure
and maintain an optimal conservation state in the long term. Animal skins and bones are a
common element in zoological collections and they are usually prepared from recently deceased
animals that have been frozen before their preparation. Sometimes, the preparation of the
specimen is carried out many years after the freezing process. The deleterious effects on the
skins and bones of the specimens from freezing, has rarely been assessed.
The aim of this study was to determine whether or not prolonged freezing caused ageing of the
soft tissues. Two bird species (Buteo buteo and Tyto alba) were used as biological models. Our
hypothesis is that freezing causes dehydration which in turn makes the skins more difficult to
prepare because of changes in skin flexibility or marrow texture from acidification of the bone.
We prepared 132 Buzzards and 139 Barn Owls that had been frozen for a period of time between
1995 - 2012. The results showed that, in both species, those which were frozen for longer periods
of time, had less mass, less elasticity of the skin, the pH of the bone marrow was more acidic and
its texture was more solid. Along with these results we also found that sexing of the birds and
preparation of the skins, proved more difficult in specimens that had been frozen for a longer
period of time.
Our results suggest that, prolonged freezing of specimens pending preparation, can compromise
the maintenance of their optimal state and their scientific utility in the long term. We propose
several solutions to avoid these deleterious effects.
Keywords: Bird preparation, freezing, deleterious effects, Buteo buteo, Tyto alba, zoological collections | |
| dc.format | application/pdf | ca |
| dc.format.extent | 1 p. | ca |
| dc.identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/2072/360673 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | 10th European Bird Curator Meeting. Paris (France) 17-19 octubre de 2017 | ca |
| dc.identifier.entitat | consorcis | ca |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11703/120765 | |
| dc.language | eng | ca |
| dc.provenance | Recercat (Dipòsit de la Recerca de Catalunya) | ca |
| dc.publisher | Conservateurs Européens de Collections d’Oiseaux i altres | ca |
| dc.rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess | |
| dc.subject | Àguiles | ca |
| dc.subject | Òlibes | ca |
| dc.subject | Conservació d'espècimens zoològics | ca |
| dc.subject | Rapinyaires | ca |
| dc.subject | Ocells | ca |
| dc.subject.category | Ciència i tecnologia | ca |
| dc.subject.forma | conferències i ponències | ca |
| dc.title | Effects of prolonged freezing on the preparation quality of fresh material destined to bird collections | |
| dc.type | info:eu-repo/semantics/conferenceObject | |
| dc.type.driver | info:eu-repo/semantics/conferenceObject | ca |
| metadadalocal.dependencia | 8008920 | |