FAQ - About Bones

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Aren't human bones illegal?
It is perfectly legal possess and to sell Human Bones in the United States. One of the main sources of confusion on this issue is that prior to 1987, the majority of human bones for sale here and in other countries were prepared in India. In 1987, India stopped its exportation of human bones. Many US news sources phrased it as a ban on the sale of human bones rather than as a ban on exportation from one particular country with no effect on United States laws.

Once India stopped exporting human bones China took over as the main supplier of human bones to the United States. However, just prior to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing China too stopped exporting human material. No other country has yet stepped up and material is much more scarce than it once was, but a decent number of bones from India and China still remain in the United States and may be freely sold.

A secondary source of confusion are the myriad of laws relating to archaeological resources. Certain material, such as those from Native Americans covered under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (http://www.cr.nps.gov/nagpra/MANDATES/25USC3001etseq.htm), are illegal to buy or sell and in some cases possess. However,these laws do not apply to most modern human bones from non-Native populations.

In short, there is no law at the U.S. Federal level prohibiting you from having a human bone in your possession. The fact that some people believe there is or believe there should be such a law is irrelevant.

This is not to say that such laws do not exist in other countries, or at the local level. For example, three US states, New York, Georgia & Tennessee, all have independent State Laws prohibiting the import or export of human remains across their state lines. While we work hard to remain current, laws are passed worldwide faster that the human mind can track or comprehend, so you must be responsible to know your local laws before ordering.

REGARDING THE SALE OF HUMAN BONES IN NEW YORK STATE

We are currently applying for a license that will allow us to sell human bone material to customers in New York State. Until we acquire this license, we cannot sell or send human bones to New York.

Under New York State law, when we do become licensed, we will only be able to sell to medical professionals and institutions for medical education, and we will require proof of medical affiliation. At this time, cadaver dog trainers are prohibited from buying human bones in the state of New York, though their status as legal buyers may change.

Sorry, artists and philosophers - New York State does not deem you eligable for ownership of human bones - call your legislators!

We work within the framework of U.S. Federal, California State, and International Treaty Law. Within these jurisdictions, there are no prohibitions on the sale or possession of human bones.

I don't want real bone, can I have a cast instead?
We offer skull casts of many animal species. Generally, casts are made when animals are either impossible to acquire for legal reasons, or exceptionally rare. A cast is a replica that is made from an original specimen (as opposed to a sculpted or modeled replica). A mold is made using the original skull, and this mold is then used to make positive versions of the skull in polyurethane, resin, hydrastone, or another chosen material.

While for rare animals a cast can be more affordable than a real skull, this is not true for common species. The process of making a cast requires great skill and labor. Quality casts come from multi-part molds that must be expertly made and fitted together. Each mold can only produce a finite number of replicas. Upon coming out of the mold, each replica must be hand-finished to remove seams and stained to match the color and patina of the original. As a result, quality replicas often require more effort to prepare than a real skull.

We offer full skeleton-casts of some species. The labor-intensive cast process applies here as well, but even more so. For a museum-quality large animal cast, each bone is cast individually. This requires hundreds of individual multi-part molds as well as final assembly of the finished skeleton!

That being said, we can get casts of the skulls of most animal species, with new species becoming available on a regular basis. Please let us know what you are looking for.

We work within the framework of U.S. Federal, California State, and International Treaty Law. Within these jurisdictions, there are no prohibitions on the sale or possession of human bones.

I found a bone, how do I clean it?
For printable maceration instructions (Adobe Acrobat PDF), click here.

First of all, don't boil or bleach bone! Boiling causes fat to soak into the bone, resulting in a greasy, yellowish specimen. Superficial grease can be removed with ammonia and certain industrial solvents, but this is an unpleasant process and cannot remove deep grease which will eventually migrate to the bone surface. Chlorine based bleach irreparably damages the bone itself, resulting in chalky, weak, extremely porous specimens that will turn to bone meal with age.

So, how do you really clean bone?

Maceration - Using bacterial action to clean bone
This is the simplest method of cleaning bone.

Remove any remaining tissue or hide from the bone
Immerse the bone in a container of water.
Leave the container in a warm location where you won't mind the smell.
Periodically pour the greasy, smelly water out (gardens love it!) and replace with fresh water.
When the water runs clear, the bacteria have run their course.
Soak the bone in regular drugstore strength hydrogen peroxide until it reaches the whiteness you prefer. This also sterilizes the bone.
You're done!

Dermestids - our favorite beetle.
If you're going to continue cleaning bones, or are working with very delicate specimens, you may want to start a dermestid colony. Dermestids or museum beetles are a group of small meat-eating beetles whose larvae do a marvelous job of stripping tissue from even the most delicate of bones. This is the method used by professional preparators. Dermestid beetles can be obtained from biological supply houses, local natural history museums or university zoology departments. Once a colony is set up in a warm place, they require minimal maintenance and are capable of stripping entire skulls in a day or two.

Before starting a dermestid colony, there are a few things to keep in mind. For one, these beetles need to be kept inside, as they like slightly warmer than room-temperature environments. Second, they will not eat decaying flesh or tolerate a great deal of moisture. Because of this, specimens must be fresh (freeze specimens if you cannot clean them immediately and thaw before introducing them to the beetles), skinned and de-fleshed as much as possible, and only placed in colonies large enough to clean them quickly. You will likely need to grow the colony to appropriate size before introducing the specimen. As a result, this method is not well-suited to cleaning just one specimen. But if you have many specimens to clean, a healthy dermestid colony is an efficient way to prepare the best bones possible.

I found a bone. Can you identify it for me?
Much as we like to help our customers, we are not a bone identification service. While skulls are often simple to identify, individual post-cranial or fragmentary remains can be very difficult, especially when not seen in person. And while we know our local animals, we are not necessarily familiar with species from other parts of the country.

If you have a skull and would like to send us a picture (with measurements) we might be able to point you in the correct general direction. This may mean identifying to the family level, but we usually cannot specify species level from a picture alone.

As a side note, please be aware of local laws before attempting to collect bones of local species. Many species are subject to local laws, whether dead or alive. For example, migratory birds are illegal to posses in any piece or way, regardless of how you acquire the remains. Other species may be possessed but not sold. We are not saying this to discourage any interest in natural history, but because many people are simply unaware of the myriad laws that apply to our native animals.

I purchased a skull from you. Does it require special care?
Bones are relatively durable, and if handled gently and with common sense, will last a long while. For a printable handout with these guidelines, click here (Adobe PDF Format).

Storage
Like other natural products, bone is best stored in a cool and dry place. But don’t worry about particular temperatures. What is most important is that the temperature stays constant or only changes very slowly. Rapidly fluctuating temperature or humidity makes bone swell and shrink repeatedly, eventually causing it to crumble.

Do not store wet bone. Allow bone to air dry before putting it away. Do not wrap bone in plastic for long-term storage. Storing wet bone in plastic creates a humid micro climate that promotes the growth of discoloring molds. Let your bones breath!

Ultraviolet radiation is destructive to the proteins that make up bone. Do not leave bone outdoors or in direct sunlight for long periods of time, as they will become brittle and eventually fall apart.

Cleaning
Because bone is porous, it stains easily and absorbs oils from our skin. To prevent staining, bone should always be handled with clean hands. Because bone is porous, it stains easily and absorbs oils from our skin.

Keeping your specimen in a display case or other covered environment will help prevent dust or environmental pollutants from building up.

If your specimen picks up dirt, clean it with warm soapy water using a gentle bristle brush. A soft toothbrush works great. Only wet the surface of the bone, as soaking bone all the way through will hasten decomposition or cause the bone to crack upon drying.

Handling
Handling bones safely is a matter of common sense. Don’t handle specimens more than you have to. Hold specimens over a table or other surface. Supervise any handling by children.

Pick up skulls from beneath, watching out for loose mandibles. Never lift a skull by the eye sockets, zygomatic arches (cheekbones), or any other projection not meant to hold weight.

Remember that while strong, bone is not indestructible. But like so many other things, treat your specimens with care and consideration, and they will bring you pleasure for years to come.

You have a skull of an animal I want, can I get a complete skeleton?
If you browse our catalog, you will notice that we offer many more animal skulls than complete skeletons. This is due to the amount of labor that goes into preparing a complete skeleton. There are not many people who do this work, as it is messy and time-consuming (and it tends to annoy the neighbors!). As a result, articulations are expensive compared to loose bone and so are primarily restricted to animals commonly used in teaching (the main market for such preparations). We can try and acquire a complete skeleton of a specific animal for you, however be advised that the wait may be long and the price will be substantially higher than for the skull alone.

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