Taxidermy And Similar Businesses

I must admit that I’m not really into designing my home with stuffed real animals, but this is just my opinion. I have enjoyed going into museums and seeing stuffed animals as well as the skeletal remains of animals.

I especially marveled at the skeletal display of a whale which was hanging in the ceiling of a museum I visited. I have also bought beautiful insects encased in resin. I know that they were alive once and what I just bought was a casket or a tomb, but this didn’t stop me from buying them.

To cut my explanation short, I just wanted to emphasize that there is a thriving market for the remains of dead animals which includes fishes and insects who are used as decorations for homes and other structures like museums.

But let’s not forget that the products don’t have to be real dead animals. They can be mere imitations of dead animals. I have for example found a Russian entrepreneur who sell imitation human skulls in Etsy and his clients seem to love them.

I don’t think I need to tell you that the trafficking of human body parts is illegal in almost every country except maybe for medical purposes. Please correct me if I’m wrong. What I can definitely say however is that owning the remains of a real human is illegal.

This is especially true if you only intended to own the remains of a human person for decorative purposes only. So, if you’re wondering if the human skeleton decorating the house of a heavy metal singer or a goth personality is real, it’s definitely a fake. Or is it?

Here is an interesting article from National Geographic regarding the buying and selling of human body parts:

"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/human-skulls-sale-legal-ebay-forensics-science"

I strongly suggest you read the article so you can have a good idea of the thriving market for human body parts. There is a strong ethical issue at play in here, but what I would rather emphasize is this: There are apparently a lot of people who want to own human body parts.

This must be the reason why imitation skulls are selling well on Etsy and Amazon for example. All you have to do to prove this is to type the search keywords: “Imitation Human Skulls” and you’ll instantly come across plenty of imitation human skulls being sold.

I don’t claim to have the answer as to why people buy human skulls and other body parts even if they’re only imitations. But the answer may be similar to why people like Halloween and ghost related entertainment.

According to psychologists, many people feel a “rush” whenever they feel scared or are undergoing a life threatening situation. While having a human skull in your living room or bedroom is no comparison to the thrill you get riding a roller coaster, the feelings have similarities.

Whenever a person sees a human skull, they are reminded that they are mortal and could get hurt and even die. This has the effect of elevating their sensory feelings. Notice how the human skull is an emblem for poison, pirates, and other dangerous things.

A long time ago, human skulls and the human skeleton in particular cause fright in many people, but commercialization of imitation and merchandise items related to human skulls and skeletons have reduced people’s fear to them.

They are used not only as out of the ordinary decorative items now but are also used historically as teaching aids in such fields as medicine and archeology. The mere fact that many are selling them only suggests that there is a good demand for them.

These two creatures lived a long time ago and both are now extinct. The dinosaurs are mostly big while trilobites are small. But one thing is true to both of them, they are both extinct and are now rare.

And anyone with enough sense can already figure out that once something has become rare, it tends to get more expensive as time passes by. Sure, dinosaur bones and trilobite remains are still being found, but finding them has gotten harder and harder.

Just like crystal or rock collectors, many people want to possess a piece of ancient history. Let’s call it bragging rights. The ability to brag to everyone else that you own a piece of artifact that could be millions of years old.

These two items are so well sought after that there have been many unscrupulous people who make imitations of these artifacts and pass them on as the real things. They do this because they know that these items command good prices.

This is also the reason why you could find dinosaur and trilobite related merchandise in such sites as Etsy. Dinosaurs are especially popular with many people. No history class would be complete without children being taught about dinosaurs.

If dinosaurs and therefore their bones are popular because people are already familiarized with them since they were little children at school, the same goes for the bones of popular fishes such as sharks and whales.

Shark teeth for example are used as pendants by many people because it gives off the impression that the person wearing them are the rugged, sporty and are of the nature loving character. I could already think of a person wearing it being able to start an easy conversation because of just wearing it.

The same goes for shark jaw bones. The mere sight of a big shark jaw bone complete with all of its sharp teeth are enough to cause an awe to anyone who sees it. They make excellent conversation pieces.

Having a shark jaw bone as a decoration at home signifies that the owner is not an ordinary person. The owner could be perceived as a person with a strong experience or knowledge of the seas.

And again, the possession of a shark’s jawbone is a sort of a bragging right. Not many people get to own one. The bigger is the shark’s jawbone, it is arguably means that the bigger also is one’s bragging rights. The same could be said for other exotic and highly prized fishes.

Undoubtedly, insects are a good starting point for you to start your animal remains business. This is because insects are small and almost all of them essentially have shells in their outer body which makes them ideal to be preserved.

The two most common ways of preserving an insect would be to either mount them inside glassed window frames. The other way is to encase them in resin. Butterflies for example are predominantly mounted while other ground crawling insects are encased in resin.

I have read it that insects are killed before being preserved either by being poisoned or by being gutted. Though I don’t like it, this is usually how it’s done. It’s hard to find insect carcasses just lying around. Consider this if you ever want to go into this business.

The beauty of insects is that once encased in resin, they can be sold not only as a decoration but also as a piece of jewelry. Resin encased scorpions and beetles seem to be popular as jewelry.

This might be because scorpions are perceived to be exotic and dangerous and therefore are somewhat rare, Beetles in the meantime have a very ancient appeal, at least for me. I’m reminded of ancient Egypt whenever I see a scarab.

The next time you eat a crab or if you can a shrimp, try not to break their shells while you’re eating them. They might be worth some money. I have seen crabs and other sea creatures who have undergone taxidermy and are being sold in such sites as Etsy.

These seemingly everyday sea creatures we eat as food seem to have a market when they are preserved as decorations. They are either preserved in embalming liquid, resin or simply stuffed.

I don’t see shrimps and other creatures being eaten and then stuffed to be sold as decorations, but I do see crabs and other animals with tough shells being stuffed and then sold. They are also ideal as decorations as crab shells do not really decompose.

I don’t think I have to mention seashells. Ancient humans have been using seashells not only as decorations and jewelry, but also as a currency. They are even being used as homes for pet hermit crabs.

Speaking of seashells, I found that oyster, clam and scallop shells of all types are also being sold in Etsy and Amazon. So the next time you eat any of these seafoods, consider that there is also a market for them even though you have already eaten the meat and what remains is only the shell.

So far, we have mainly discussed animals and their bones. And what do bones contain? Calcium, yes, even insects are rich in calcium and are in fact being hailed as ideal for human consumption.

Calcium has plenty of uses. It is for example used as a food supplement. That is why an insect and from a seemingly grotesque view, even humans are completely recyclable. But this article is not about recycling human remains.

What we are concerned about is the business of extracting calcium from animal remains. According to the site marketwatch, the calcium industry is expected to grow by a CAGR of 4.6% during the years 2021 to 2027.

This is definitely good news for any business involved in the calcium production business. Looking at Amazon for example, there is calcium powder being sold for human, reptile and bird consumption.

It seems every organic organism needs calcium in their diet. Many health experts even advise that old people take calcium supplements regularly to offset the aging effects on their body especially their bones.

There is a demand for human remains but ethically and legally speaking, it is not right to own such items. You can however capitalize on this demand by making imitation products. Imitation human skulls for example have a good a market in such sites as Etsy and Amazon.

You can do much better with selling animal remains. Animal bones and stuffed animals for example sell in sites such as Etsy. Another thing you could consider is this: Calcium. The demand for calcium is growing and animal remains are a good source for calcium.

Could An Insect Pet Shop Be The Right Business For You?