Before deciding to offer a World Title for habitats, I gave a lot of consideration into the importance that habitats have played for moving into our modern era of taxidermy. My first thought was that habitats have had a strong position in taxidermy for well over a hundred years. Look back at our historic museums with dioramas full of natural looking habitats during the end and after the turn of the 19th century. Framed and glass-dome displays were part of home decor in Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and that practice was soon adopted in the USA. The large commercial studios in the United States used habitats with their taxidermy starting in the early 1900s, especially with the growth and popularity of African safaris. When the renaissance of today’s modern taxidermy took off after the 1960s, the use of habitats in taxidermy compositions blossomed into the gamerooms and unbelievable competition pieces we see today.

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I start this second article by continuing our focus on the head exterior and mouth interior, which are two of the most viewed areas of any competition or commercial mount. I will also highlight craftsmanship as well as one of the major areas of evaluation on the scoresheet, and one of the biggest areas for improvement for nearly all taxidermists, that being the pelvic and pectoral fin attachments and associated musculature.

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Long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis), formerly known as old squaws, are medium-sized sea ducks that breed in the tundra and taiga regions of the arctic, and winters along the northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is the only member of the genus Clangula.

“Old Squaw” was the name given by Native Americans, due to their loud and abundant vocalizations. From a distance a flock of these beautiful birds sounded like a bunch of Native American women chattering away. Old squaw ducks are one of the deepest diving ducks, and can dive as deep as 60 meters (200 feet) to forage for food. They feed primarily on aquatic invertebrates, including insects and crustaceans. They also eat some oysters, clams, fish, fish eggs, and plant matter.

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This issue we are beginning a series of habitat articles by Kurt Ainsworth from Independence, Kentucky. Kurt grew up and started his career in taxidermy in Michigan, so he is very familiar with northern habitats of snow, and ice. He has traveled, hunted, and fished extensively in North America and Africa. Kurt offered to do a series of articles on many of his procedures for recreating and enhancing habitats.  Pictured are creations by Kurt Ainsworth, Kent Allard, Tim Patton, David Vestal, Crystal Halfhill, Paul Burczycki, Jim Hess, Seth Clark, Ron Biondolino, Chad Miller, Kevin Neidigh, and Crystal Van Ommen Versdaakdonk.

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A walrus “caused a stir” as it became stranded on the shoreline along the Southern Finland in July 2022. The appearance of the iconic Arctic animal on the coast of Finland caused enormous interest and, among the public, a desire to help.

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