1920’s Taxidermy of a very rare Asian Leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri)

The taxidermy specimen of a leopard (Panthera pardus) shown below is a professionally mounted example, with techniques reflective of the period in which it was prepared. The skin has been properly cured, tanned, and prepped before mounting. The eyes are made of glass, and the manikin is constructed with a thick wire frame wrapped in wood wool, over which plaster has been applied. Cotton was used for the detailed modeling of the head, and cardboard connects the plaster body to the wood wool tail. The leopard’s skull was utilized to create an open-mouth pose, with finishing touches completed using plaster. The base is made from wood, plaster, and cardboard.

Different subspecies were evaluated based on characteristics such as overall size, the density and size of spots and rosettes (on legs, shoulders, flanks, and tail), ground color, tail tip color, the presence and location of an interrupted or uninterrupted collar.