Description

Diaphanization of a corn snake skeketon: Pantherophis guttatus

The aim of diaphanization is to render the skeleton transparent. Here, the snake skeletons are diaphanized in violet.

The tissues are made transparent by a chemical process, and specific dyes are used to highlight the skeleton.

You can see the bones through the skin!

It's mainly used for animals too small to be prepared for osteology in the conventional way, or to study ossification sequences, for example.

The corn snake is a species endemic to the United States.

The vial in which it is contained measures approximately 11.5 cm high with a base of 4.2x2cm.

The flask contains no formalin, as the specimens are fixed prior to preparation. 

The specimens are then placed in these flasks filled with pure glycerine and thymol crystals, whose function is to preserve tissue and combat mold.

The animals are not killed to end up in these jars; they are often fetuses or stillborn animals, etc.