What is the appeal of taxidermy?

It’s not my bag either. Odd and very creepy.

Right. Take pictures. No need to place a stuffed Chester Chipmunk who is mounted a piece of wood, next to the candy dish, thank-ya very much.

Being able to look the animal in the eyes day after day and proudly proclaim “I defeated you”.

@J0E But, they aren’t the real eyes.

True, but it’s enough.

Well, why don’t people get mice stuffed? Those little buggers are damn hard to defeat.

I kill bugs, but I don’t need to keep them in a jar to boost my ego.

It’s got to be a man-cave thing. If I shot, like, a bear or something, I’d want to show it off every chance I got.

@Supacase GQ! I agree with every word you wrote; get a fucking scrapbook.

I wouldn’t want to hang the head of my kills on the wall of my home. I would probably feel their blaming eyes following me around. I think it’s a good thing to use bodies of animals in a show case to study animals. This is another aspect of conserving bodies I am not sure what to think about. Body World

Is it any different from this or this?

Some people like to brag about their collections.

damn showoffs!

My granddad had a “man-cave” in the loft of the barn. It was a pool table and a bar surrounded by deer heads, squirrels, birds, whatever.
The kids were the only ones to complain because we were terrified of them coming to life.

My grandmother complained once he put a bearskin [complete with head] in the playpen up there “Extra comfort for the little ones”

So he took them down, and started taking polaroids of his hunts.
So now the attic is filled with dead animals and the man-cave is plastered with gory pictures.

I LOVE antique, Victorian taxidermy dioramas mostly because of the creep-out factor, but also because of the placement of the animals in an artistic way. It’s like a little time capsule, which fascinates me. I also like it when the animals and breeds look different from what we have now, and the cool old wooden mounts they used to put them on.

I also happen to love oddities – two headed animals, etc. so I like to see those things too. I’m not so much into the really new taxidermy, but the old and the weird stuff really fascinates me.

It is a really strange thing to me, and some of the stuff is just off the wall. I always wondered why someone would want to be a taxidermist. Relevant link #2

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I like it because… I’m kind of morbid.

Actually, I prefer skulls and other bones to stuffed things. But I do like that, too.

Your pets are better behaved and easier to care for.

My husband and I were married outside at Wildlife Prairie State Park here in Illinois. Our reception was held in the Log Room. This picture doesn’t show it but the room has various taxidermy displays throughout. I loved the rustic look of the room but many people were a little disturbed by the heads. My brother-in-law likes to remind us of our “Twin Peaks” wedding. @MacBean you would have loved it :)

@jonsblond The are collections, but something about the animals once being alive freaks me out. Restaurants with dead animals “watching” me eat also disturbs me. shudder The Twin Peaks wedding is hilarious!

@rangerr I could deal with it out in the barn where I would never have to go. I told him he could have a shed. He did not find it to be an acceptable offer. ~ I wish our daughter would be scared of them, but she has seen them at my in-laws since she was a baby. I don’t think she really understands what they are yet, though.

@JOE I didn’t mean to be a bitch about the bugs. I reread it today and thought saw how bad it sounded. Sorry about that. Maybe I should have said, “ha ha, gotcha!” instead of “boost your ego” because my intent was to be silly, not mean.

I’m a bit at odds with how I feel about taxidermy. In certain contexts (like man caves), I find it repulsive. Tucked away in a dusty nook of an antique store, I’m quite drawn to it. There is still a lingering repulsion, but that may be part of the draw.

To be able to peer so closely at something that used to run wild is both intriguing and sad.

It’s death suspended in a bizarre parody of life. Beauty touched by decay. There’s a lot of metaphor and irony worth contemplating.

@ratboy You’ve become the fluther Steven Wright. I am rofl.