Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Animal Wednesday - taxidermy

(Check down at the bottom of this post, I'm hoping I added the Mr. Linky thingy - give it a try OK?)
Back to AW -

We went to a "cracker" museum during this last trip in Florida, and they had a great building which was set up like a dry goods store. In the back there were all these stuffed animals, very strange to look at but great to take pictures of with my blackberry.

Did I write down the names of each animal??? Nope - but I think I remember. This one is a Bobcat (I think!)

And a Pheasant....
And a hawk, but I'm not sure which kind. He has a worried look on his face, doesn't he? or maybe befuddled....

Turkey feathers. The turkey itself was too moth eater to take decent pictures of.

And 1/2 of a bear - I actually don't like this one, he looks like he's struggling to get free of the wall, but it was interesting to see his claws and mouth up close without thinking about running as fast as my legs would take me.


Happy Animal Wednesday everyone!!!

14 comments:

soulbrush said...

these are sooo scary. i think i got mr linky right, check please.
haw dear mim.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Intersting place you found. I always have mixed emotions about taxidermy. The bear is facinating.

Cate said...

wild life 'art' as I call it...I've never liked this kind of thing. hanging dead stuffed animals on your walls as a decoration is well...just nasty and ever so tacky. (at least to me) :)

anyway, I know that some people do it, shoot my brother-in-law is a 'hunter' if you please...and hangs his 'trophies' (gross) on the walls in their home. one year for Christmas, I had a shirt made for him with a big red target on it and the words 'Dirty, Filthy, Rotten, Poacher'! LOL, he isn't one but I tease him and call him that...he laughed and wore the thing!

as much as I don't like things like this I can see their value in teaching. that is one of the safest ways to get close to either a bobcat or bear! :)

And, don't you just love these kind of 'roadside style attractions'? Local color, charming in an odd sort of way, don't you think?

I'm not too far from Sarasota. Just about an hour North, near Lakeland. Between Orlando and Tampa. The I-4 corridor they call it here. I'm right in The Green Swamp!

I'll try Mr. Linkey later when I have an 'animal wednesday' to add!

Have a great day, I'm loving all the posts about your trip here! :)

studio lolo said...

Holy crap!!

The only way I can handle this is if I know they were victims of a natural death and not shot for decoration. The bear really does look stuck :(
It does make for an interesting AW though, I'll give you that!

Off to try Mr. Linky....HAW!!

Bea said...

We had a Bobcat last year, wandering around our area. A farmer caught a picture of it jumping out of his older barn where it must have spent the night. Caused quite a stir around these parts. Beautiful animal. :)Bea

Teri said...

Mim, write to Mr Linky help to make it all visible with the names. They have been extremely helpful to me.

That is a bobcat but I sure hate to see animals exploited like this.

HAW

sukipoet said...

an odd museum. I'm not crazy about stuffed animals myself either. Curious.

Baino said...

Hard to say whether they died a natural death or were hunted. Either way, they're stuffed (or at least rather tired).

MuseSwings said...

Nice of those guys to stand still for your pictures, wasn't it! Cracker Florida is the real thing!

Lynn Cohen said...

This is funny, or I am funny. I made your link work but I don't have an animal up today. Sorry. LOL
I tricked whoever comes due to your link! I am extra silly because I am home making art on a work day. I have to go to work later but just for three hours. I feel like I am playing hooky.
I like the bob cat flying through the air!
I agree the bear looks distressed.
But fun photos none the less.

Lynn Cohen said...

I think I will post something with an animal.

marianne said...

These stuffed animals have something sad.....they are impressive but half a bear coming out of the wall, who thinks up something like that?

HAW!!!

Debra Kay said...

I find myself repulsed and fascinated at the same time-our Bass Pro shop has an extensive taxidermy collection.

Hunters WILL hunt-so the trophy part of it is after the fact-and it does provide artistic possibilities.

The half bear makes me sad though. Coyotes make me sad too-I remember traveling in Eastern Oklahoma once and seeing an entire fence row of coyote carcasses....I stopped and cried my eyes out.

Michele said...

These are kind of scary and creepy and did I say scary. I'm not sure I could even be in the same room with them.