Skeleton of Chameleon Calyptratus

This white skeleton lets you see the animal he was. It is a male veiled Chameleon from Yemen: the Chameleo calyptratus. Its very large prehensible tail that allows it to better clinb into the branches is clearly identifiable. He has never seen Yemen since he was born and died in the same Italian vivarium in Torino. The process to manage to get to this perfect delicate and white skeleton is very long, It is done with the help of small detritiphage insects: the Dermestidae. As their latin name suggests: skin eaters. More exactly their larvae which are they most necrophagous. It is therefore a collaboration between a taxidermist and his Dermestidae breeding. Dangerous collaboration, because if one of these tiny larvae escapes, it will attack the insect collections and taxidermies of the workshop... so it needs a secondary residence for Dermestidae!