Natural History Specimens

Taxidermy: What to Record

Mounted animals, birds and fish, and study skins.

The Data Sheet for Taxidermy

The 36 fields worth recording for taxidermy, grouped as in the ordicio app. Fields marked with a broader category come from it; the others are specific to taxidermy.

Taxonomy

Scientific name Text Natural history specimens: Genus and species with author and year if known, e.g. Phacops rana (Green, 1832); write 'sp.' when the species is not determined.
Common name Text Natural history specimens: Vernacular name, e.g. Eyed trilobite, Common cockle.
Phylum Text Natural history specimens: Phylum (or division for plants), e.g. Arthropoda, Mollusca, Chordata.
Class Text Natural history specimens: Taxonomic class, e.g. Trilobita, Cephalopoda, Insecta.
Order Text Natural history specimens: Taxonomic order, e.g. Phacopida, Ammonitida, Lepidoptera.
Family Text Natural history specimens: Taxonomic family, e.g. Phacopidae, Papilionidae.
Determined by Text Natural history specimens: Who identified the specimen and when (expert, museum, own determination).

Collection data

Where, when and by whom the specimen was collected.

Locality Text Natural history specimens: Exact find site, as specific as possible, e.g. quarry, mine and level, beach, outcrop.
Region Text Natural history specimens: State, province, county or district of the locality.
Country Text Natural history specimens: Country of origin or issue, by its usual English name (historic states as named at the time, e.g. Kingdom of Bavaria).
Coordinates Place Natural history specimens: Geographic position of the locality (keep private for sensitive sites).
Habitat Text Natural history specimens: Habitat and conditions at collection, e.g. intertidal rocks, 20 m depth on sand, at light, beech forest.
Collected by Text Natural history specimens: Person who collected or excavated the specimen.
Collection date Date Natural history specimens: Date the specimen was collected in the field.
Field / collection number Text Natural history specimens: Collector's field number or the number of an earlier collection.

Specimen

Sex / stage Choice Natural history specimens: Sex or life stage of the specimen.
Male
Female
Pair
Juvenile / larva
Unknown
Quantity Whole number, at least 1 Natural history specimens: Number of identical pieces held, when they are recorded together.
Mount type Choice, or your own: Kind of taxidermy mount.
Full mount
Shoulder / head mount
Bird mount
Fish mount
Case / diorama
Skin / study skin
Rug
Taxidermist Text: Taxidermist or studio and year, e.g. Rowland Ward, 1902.
Specimen origin Choice: How the animal died or where it lived, which matters for legality.
Wild (natural death / legal hunt)
Captive / zoo
Farmed
Road kill
Unknown
Height (cm) Number: Height, measured upright as the object is meant to stand or hang.

Legal

Protection status and documents.

CITES status Choice Natural history specimens: Listing of the species or material under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Not listed
Appendix I
Appendix II
Appendix III
Exempt (pre-Convention / antique)
Unknown
Permits & documents Text Natural history specimens: Collecting, export, import or trade permits and certificates with their numbers and issuing authority.

Condition

Condition notes Text Natural history specimens: Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Restoration & repairs Text Natural history specimens: Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date Natural history specimens: Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own Natural history specimens: How the object came into the collection.
Purchase
Auction
Gift
Inheritance
Exchange / trade
Self-collected / found
Commission
Acquired from Text Natural history specimens: Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount Natural history specimens: Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text Natural history specimens: Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount Natural history specimens: Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date Natural history specimens: Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice Natural history specimens: What the estimated value is based on.
Own estimate
Recent sales / auction results
Dealer offer
Catalogue value
Professional appraisal
Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount Natural history specimens: Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text Natural history specimens: Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text Natural history specimens: Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.