September 2018 Newsletter: Zoology |
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Come visit us at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conference |
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This month marks one year since our move to Eton Avenue, in Chatsworth, California, and 25 years from the production of our first replica (BC-001 - a male western lowland gorilla skull) created in a home garage. Staff and visitors have been enjoying the spacious and welcoming new environs. From the entry, atrium, and showroom, to the manufacturing, and shipping areas, the main feature is the extensive and impressive Bone Clones® line of osteological products. Throughout the building you can see the products we manufacture, as well as artifacts and photographs showing the history of a unique idea, and the challenges inherent in making it real. |
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Our company origins are zoological, and while we have wandered over the years into many areas of inquiry – human anatomy, palaeontology, forensic science, anthropology, evolution of man, and more, zoology remains in our DNA. One of our founding principles persists: provide excellent osteological replicas for study and display in order to eliminate the need to take wild animals for natural bone specimens. Our goal is always to capture as faithfully as possible each specimen’s gross structure and intricate details — to create a replica "virtually indistinguishable from the original."™ |
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We have been delighted to hear that Bone Clones® are being used by zoos and aquariums both as hands-on learning aids at bio-fact stations, and as impressive displays to highlight an animal’s internal structure. Because our casts are durable, they are well suited to hands-on-learning, and may be passed around, handled, and examined up close by students and the public.
All Bone Clones® are made in the U.S. in our Chatsworth, CA facility. We hope that the products we manufacture will continue to be useful to you in sharing your mission of species conservation and public education, and that they may inspire the next generation of conservationists and animal enthusiasts.
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SAVANNAH MONITOR
(Life Cast)
This medium-sized Varanus, native to sub-Saharan Africa, can be found in leaf litter and in the branches of low bushes foraging for bugs, mollusks and worms. In the wild they spend much of their time sheltering in cool, moist burrows. When warmth is needed, they will bask on hot rocky platforms.
The scale pattern of this lizard consists of mottled and spotted stripes of dark gray, brown and muted yellow and varies according to its environment. We have taken great care to match the original’s coloration and patterning.
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PRIMATE PARTIAL MAXILLA AND MANDIBLE SETS
At the request of educators, we created three partial maxilla and mandible sets which may be used to demonstrate similarities in non-human great ape dentition, and to explain the relationship between dentition and diet.
Primates within the family Hominidae have a dental formula of 2/2, 1/1, 2/2, 3/3. While humans and our primate cousins share the same amount of teeth, our maxilla and mandibles are shaped differently. Gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans have much larger teeth and therefore need more room for them in their mouth. In these animals, the shape of the rows of teeth is rectangular, whereas in humans it is “U” shaped.
Also available:
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Our website features multiple categories in an effort to help you find the most useful specimens for your needs. In addition to major animal groupings (mammals, reptiles & amphibians, birds, fish), we also offer specimens exhibiting pathology and trauma, educational sets and economy versions of selected products.
We manufacture casts of skulls, skeletons, eggs, limbs, extremities, teeth, fangs, claws, talons (and a few spines), endocasts and a selection of life casts many of which can be used in conjunction with skeletal elements of the same species. If you can’t find what you are looking for, or need specimens for a special project, please inquire.
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We love exploring the osteological relationships between animals in different environments. It was one of our original curiosities. Here, we’ve put together an educational handout exploring forelimbs of different species and their adaptations to their environments and use. We will bring printed versions to the AZA conference, and feel free to download and/or print. |
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We invite you to explore our website, or, if you prefer, the online PDFs of our printed catalogs.
Please note that our newer products are only viewable online - please see our New Products category
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All images and text © 2018 Bone Clones, Inc. |
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