-Janessa and Allison
Monday, 28 May 2012
Completion
Our rabbit skeleton reconstruction project is finally complete! Here is the finished product, as well as the diagram we used:
-Janessa and Allison
-Janessa and Allison
Gluing Part 2
We got together later that weekend to get the project finished. It was time to get some bigger things done, so we attached the pelvis to the spine and let it dry. Then we measured out the angles we would need the limbs to be and glued these together. These things all took much more glue to keep it sturdy than the toes did.
While these dried we got back to work on the feet, attaching the toes together and the ankles. The front toes were much smaller and simpler than the back ones. Then we were able to combine the rear legs and the pelvis and spine. We had to be really careful in letting it dry for long enough.
Then we were able to start mounting things onto the wooden board. We used pencils as dowels with little pieces on sponge on the end to support the important parts. We measured out based on the angles on the back legs were the feet should be placed. The legs fit nicely onto the ankles. The two pieces of spine we also reattached. It had been easier to work with them in two smaller pieces until this point. We did not glue down the front legs or feet yet, just placed them down for a visual.
From this point we needed to attach the ribs. We were glad we kept them in order so we knew exactly where they needed to go. It was time for more teamwork with the delicate nature of all the tiny ribs that needed to be held in place.
After all the ribs were in place, we just needed to attach the arms and front feet to the base, the shoulder blades, last bit of tail, and the head. It was about an additional 6 hours of work that day. We were very happy once the entire project was transported safely to school!
Here are some additional angles of the complete rabbit skeleton. I would estimate that the project took over 20 hours to complete. It required lots of patience and pushing the limits of what we thought we could do, especially in the early stages. Although I would not like to ever skin a rabbit again, I do think this project was worth it in the end. It was the kind of learning experience you do not get in a classroom, and will probably never have the chance to do again. We were both perfectionists when it came to the cleanliness of our bones and the accuracy of the skeleton. We were also proud of all the hard work we put into it.
Gluing Part 1
Since our last post we didn't have much time to work on this project. It mostly requires large blocks of time when we can get together. We did each put in some time on our own to finish up a few cleaning jobs. Janessa worked on the spine for quite a while. It needed to be reboiled, which worked best on two wires to keep the bones in order. They kind of looked like immunity idol necklaces from the show Survivor. Once they were all seperated they were cleaned some more with baking soda. Then also lots on time spent picking away at all the extra stuff. The insides were tricky to get completely clean but eventually were very nice, after using toothpicks, fingers, tweezers, and lots of patience. Allison got some hydorgen peroxide to soak all the bones in and made sure everything else was perfectly clean. About 10 hours total were spent cleaning. We started out first day of gluing with the limbs still in seperate bowls and the spine still on wire.
We got a wooden board to set everything up on. For gluing we used both a contact cement for durability and super glue for quick drying. Both can be found a Dollarama. It was kind of scary to just start gluing but we got started on the feet, since those had the most little bones. Each of the four toes had multiple sections to attach in a row. It was delicate work because of having so many tiny bones, but we felt better once each of the toes were in solid pieces. It took teamwork to get this part done, applying both glues with toothpicks and holding things in place. Then we split up and each did half the spine, attaching each vertebrae by following the natural curve of the spine. By the end of the day we felt like we had made some good progress. It was about 4 hours of gluing.
We got a wooden board to set everything up on. For gluing we used both a contact cement for durability and super glue for quick drying. Both can be found a Dollarama. It was kind of scary to just start gluing but we got started on the feet, since those had the most little bones. Each of the four toes had multiple sections to attach in a row. It was delicate work because of having so many tiny bones, but we felt better once each of the toes were in solid pieces. It took teamwork to get this part done, applying both glues with toothpicks and holding things in place. Then we split up and each did half the spine, attaching each vertebrae by following the natural curve of the spine. By the end of the day we felt like we had made some good progress. It was about 4 hours of gluing.
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Day 2- disassembling, cleaning
Today we got back to work at taking our rabbit apart. We froze it again in the meantime. Once again it was a great day to do this on the front yard, although people passing looked at us strangely. We were finally able to separate it into smaller pieces we could each work on.
Considering how much meat we thought we removed last time, there was still a lot more.
Allison focused on the skull a lot, including getting the brain out. This was difficult and needed a combination of a knife, toothpick, fingers, and water. Also, taking out the tongue was a joint effort because it was in there pretty deep, which was kind of gross. Janessa worked on the spine, pelvis, and ribs, which were difficult because of how small and fragile everyting was.
We took off the limbs, which made it much easier to handle the rest of the body as we worked. We left them soakining just some warm water for a while to loosen up the meat and slimy stuff around the bones.
We brought out an old toothbrush to do some more scrubing at the bones. Again, we had to be careful. Everything is so delicate!
Considering how much meat we thought we removed last time, there was still a lot more.
Here is the scull soaking once Allison spent a lot of time cleaning it. We thought it now looks pretty cool, expecially the teeth.
Here is the tray with most of the pieces laid out on it. The spine is still all connected from the pelvis to the neck, which we will deal with next time. Once Janessa carefully removed all the ribs we kept them in order by taping them down. Unfortunately, some were already broken or cracked. We will have to glue those back together.
While working on these other parts, we let the limbs soak in some water with baking soda. Each limb is in its own cup to keep them seperate. We took apart all the bones, including the big legs ones and the tiny toes. They were quite greasy and will probably need a bit more scrubbing or soaking later.
Another 4 hours of work later, this is how far we got. Probably next time some more cleaning will be required, although we feel pretty good about the state of most bones right now. The spine will be tricky, it seemed like all the meat was removed, but they didn't seem to separate naturally and we don't want to just rip things apart. We will also keep those bones in order, and put them on a wire. We can hopefully start some gluing too next time. Overall, pretty successful day.
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Day 1- skinning, gutting, boiling
Today we got to work on our rabbit. On Allison's front lawn. A little bit sketchy, but the sun was so nice it only made sense. Where to start? If you've never taken an animal apart before, starting is the hardest part! We had to cover the face in order to finally make that first cut.
We had to be really careful on the feet. There are so many tiny bones, and we eventually just had to leave some fur on them for the time being. Here are the ears and a part of the eyeball. Some parts were more difficult to cut out than others, physically and emotionally! The rest of the eye was quite jelly-like, and made an oozing mess all over the place.
So here is what we had left at the end of day 1. We felt like we had accomplished a decent amount in the hours we had, and the worst is behind us. In terms of grossness that it; it's obvious that this project is a huge undertaking, and that many more hours will be needed to carefully take it apart, clean all the bones, and glue them back together. Next week we will continue to work!
Once we got going on it, it wasn't quite as bad as we thought. Nowhere near as easy as the internet made it sound, but some sections of skin/fur peeled off quite nicely. I compared this to peeling an orange.
We had to be really careful on the feet. There are so many tiny bones, and we eventually just had to leave some fur on them for the time being. Here are the ears and a part of the eyeball. Some parts were more difficult to cut out than others, physically and emotionally! The rest of the eye was quite jelly-like, and made an oozing mess all over the place.
Then we opened it up to reveal all the guts. Some stuff we tried to identify, others was just a mess. We had been warned not to break the intestines because they would be filled with poo and it would stink. However, we opened them right away but it wasn't too bad, it was still partially frozen. Slightly unconventional, but it worked. So we had a nice pile of guts and fecal matter. Crazy how much was inside that rabbit.
Then with as much off of the rabbit as possible, it was time to boil it the first time. Up to this point took about two hours. The grossest part complete!
After boiling it for about an hour and a half we took it out and removed as much meat as we could. By now it did not feel as much like a rabbit or a nasty dead animal, it was just some cooked meat and bones. No eating this meat though!
So here is what we had left at the end of day 1. We felt like we had accomplished a decent amount in the hours we had, and the worst is behind us. In terms of grossness that it; it's obvious that this project is a huge undertaking, and that many more hours will be needed to carefully take it apart, clean all the bones, and glue them back together. Next week we will continue to work!
Saturday, 17 March 2012
The Project Begins
For our big biology project, we (Allison and Janessa) will be doing a skeleton reconstruction. We happened to come across a dead rabbit that was in good shape, so this is the animal we wil be working with. For school we will need to track out progress and this blog will be where we do this. With photos, videos, and write-ups, we will update it as we work. This is guaranteed to be huge amounts of work, but it is also sure to be an interesting learning experience...
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