Taxidermy Water Shrew Project
I recently got commissioned by a The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire to process a little Eurasian Water Shrew (Neomys fodiens) that they found deceased.
Iain Webb from the wildlife trust thought it would be a great idea to have the specimen mounted up for educational purposes, to note the features that distinguish it from the other species of shrew, which include the line of hairs under the tail forming a keel, the fringe of hairs around its feet to help with swimming, and the whiskers on its snout, the vibrissae, to help it search for food.
Although the water shrew is fairly larger compared to their common cousins, it was still a very small little animal, the smallest animal that I have worked with so far. It was extremely fiddly and a challenge to complete, especially installing his 1mm eyes, but I am happy with the final outcome!
I placed the Water Shrew on a habitat base that I prepared earlier, made from carved foam airbrushed to replicate a rock and clear resin to imitate the water.
I just need to paint a few areas then he will be done! Better photos to follow soon.
Thank you for reading!
– Krysten
