Skulls Unlimited

July 10, 2008 5:22 PM

Skulls Unlimited:For all your osteology needs.
posted by mr_crash_davis (26 comments total)

Wow... some of these (like the Greater Desert Jerboa skull) almost look like modern art.

(Or, you know, good modern art.)
posted by Rhaomi at 5:33 PM on July 10, 2008

As seen on Dirty Jobs.
posted by adoarns at 5:36 PM on July 10, 2008

So they have skulls, big deal.

...

Huh, they have quite a selection.

...

Holy crap, they have 10 different kinds of fox skulls.

....

Where did they get...maybe I better not ask.
posted by DU at 5:49 PM on July 10, 2008

Economy Skull Bag

I've been waiting years to read those words...
posted by lekvar at 5:55 PM on July 10, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I've actually had the need to order from these folks pretty often. You should've seen the size of the box that held the polar bear skull. Quite a few of these (like the polar bear) are replicas. So, "no animals were harmed in the creation of . . ."
posted by annaramma at 5:57 PM on July 10, 2008

Recently I’ve been doing a lot of lost wax casting. Someday I’d love to get an MRI of my head, use the data to build a 3D model of my skull then use that to make a wax model on a rapid prototyping machine. Then I could cast it in silver or bronze and have my skull in metal on my desk.
posted by Tenuki at 6:01 PM on July 10, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

One day I hope to be able to get an exact replica of my skull in real bone and I'm going to carry it around on my shoulders.
posted by DU at 6:03 PM on July 10, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

annaramma, I noticed that a lot of the items for sale are "Bone Clones®," which is simultaneously disappointing and a relief I guess. I'm sure there's a limit to the number of bones that can be sustainably "wild harvested."
posted by lekvar at 6:12 PM on July 10, 2008

You know, if the replica duck-billed platypus skeleton was about $150.00 cheaper, I think I'd be breaking out my credit card right now.

And also obsessively rehearsing and re-rehearsing the lengthy explanation I would owe my spouse.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 6:30 PM on July 10, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Yes, and the models are usually cheaper. Quality A natural bone eats into the teaching budget a lot faster. Plus, BoneClone is a lot of fun to say.
posted by annaramma at 6:32 PM on July 10, 2008

Skulls Unlimited: A Good Place To get Some Head.
posted by jonmc at 6:38 PM on July 10, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Recently I’ve been doing a lot of lost wax casting. Someday I’d love to get an MRI of my head, use the data to build a 3D model of my skull then use that to make a wax model on a rapid prototyping machine. Then I could cast it in silver or bronze and have my skull in metal on my desk.

Roland MDX-40. :)
posted by aeschenkarnos at 6:42 PM on July 10, 2008

Previously on Ask.
posted by BrotherCaine at 6:46 PM on July 10, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Palmcorder, it's $160 cheaper if you assemble it yourself. Fun project for the whole family.
posted by BrotherCaine at 6:52 PM on July 10, 2008

I'm interested in the $10,000 Adult Female Giraffe skeleton, but I do need additional degreasing/whitening, and I need it NEXT WEEK!

Guess I'll have to go elsewhere for my giraffe skeleton needs...
posted by Windopaene at 7:18 PM on July 10, 2008

I'm interested in the $10,000 Adult Female Giraffe skeleton, but I do need additional degreasing/whitening, and I need it NEXT WEEK!

Guess I'll have to go elsewhere for my giraffe skeleton needs...
posted by Windopaene at 7:19 PM on July 10, 2008

That Roland MDX-40, as a 4 axis CNC router, is going to have trouble with the substantial undercuts (e.g. cheekbone) and hollows of Tenuki's (presumably) human skull. ... Why not a lifecast, or take it to one of those outfits that bronzes baby shoes?

Rapid protoyping for fdm-depositited abs plastic costs the service agency $6/cubic inch in printer cartridge costs. No idea how much wax would cost, but I imagine it's comparable.

The interested should also check out:
boneroom.com/ in Berkeley, CA
and
artcademy.com , who sell a plastic replica for $289. Wonder if it's any good.

Where did they get...maybe I better not ask.
"Right, that's two Female Forensic Skulls with Shotgun Wounds, and one Male Forensic Skull with Large Caliber Bullet Wound. ... That's going to take a couple days."
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:01 PM on July 10, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Here's a skeleton made out of cassette tapes.
posted by interrobang at 8:55 PM on July 10, 2008

Alas, I shall no longer be eating Fruit Loops for breakfast...
posted by JibberJabber at 8:43 AM on July 11, 2008

Awesome! More skulls for me to bling.
posted by quin at 11:06 AM on July 11, 2008

People, please use your heads:

Skulls Unlimited is requesting your cooperation when shipping specimens to us for processing. It is important that these shipping instructions be followed, as all too often, parcels arrive at our facilities either smelling badly or leaking fluids. We are requesting that our clients ship all parcels via FedEx or U.S. mail. UPS can be used ,but they have refused delivery of leaking and foul smelling packages.

(Blargh.)
posted by pracowity at 12:29 PM on July 11, 2008

> You know, if the replica duck-billed platypus skeleton was about $150.00 cheaper, I think I'd be breaking out my credit card right now.
And also obsessively rehearsing and re-rehearsing the lengthy explanation I would owe my spouse.

If you're serious, I'll put $15 on that.
posted by churl at 10:27 PM on July 11, 2008

Seriously. Look at that shit. It's amazing. Think about that thing sitting in your house being fucking awesome every day. On second thought, I'll make it $20. All I want is a transcript of the reaction you get.
posted by churl at 10:32 PM on July 11, 2008

I discovered this site a year ago after watching this fascinating Nature special on hippos and deciding that I really wanted a hippo skull. Uh, in my mind the connection makes perfect sense.

I learned two things from Skulls Unlimited:

1. Hippo skulls are expensive. Which in retrospect I guess I should have known. I mean, what was I expecting, twenty bucks?

2. Someone already had the URL skullsunlimited.com, which, even though the phrase had never occurred to me and I'd never run across it before, and is in fact essentially meaningless for any purpose other than running a skull-selling business whose inventory could colloquially said to be unlimited, this fact nevertheless fills me with a Proustian sense of loss that I would never have SkullsUnlimited.com printed on my business card. O to mourn something I never knew I had lost, etc.
posted by Ian A.T. at 8:23 PM on July 12, 2008

Related: Seabird skulls.
posted by mediareport at 10:48 AM on July 13, 2008

Churl-- Sadly, I think the spousal reaction would be one of world-weariness and not of soul-deep OMGWTFBBQ?111??!, so it probably wouldn't be worth your $20.00. This is exactly the kind of thing mi esposo expects from me. We've been having a low-level debate ever since we got married over whether, later on when we own our own house, it will be acceptible for me to attach a taxidermied crocodile to the ceiling. (For reasons I can't fathom, my guy is not pro this idea).

Of course, maybe if I get the platypus skeleton -now-, when crocodile time comes around in a few years, it won't be such a big deal. . . .
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 10:08 PM on July 16, 2008