I am working on a juvenile wild boar skull. After cleaning, I have noticed that both the upper canine teeth have split in half vertically, from front to back. Is this normal? Do they do this to enable the boar to shed them easily? I am in the process of putting them back together and they seem almost like they are supposed to break in half. This is probably a dumb question, but this is my first boar skull and I don't know that much about these animals. Thanks for any info. you can share.
Lesley
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Sorry I don't have the answer to your question, but as a teacher I have to put the famous statement I tell my students...
"The only dumb question is the one that is not asked"
Your question and others on the net here have helped many, young, old, novice and professional. So please, do not refer to it as a dumb question, somebody out here has the answer.
Weren't they are the same people who said, "The youth of this country are it's future?" DUH? Seldom do people who entitle their questions as "dumb" ask DUMB questions. Certainly this isn't one. Are you using the real boar teeth for some reason? All natural teeth become brittle and eventually crack. That's why the practice of using the originals was replaced by reproductions. supply Mike Noonkester Supply carries some of the very best in varying sizes Rick Carter also carries a fine line through WASCO for replacements. If you repair them, they won't last, I fear. The internal pressures of drying can beat the best epoxies hands down and you're simply stemming the tide temporarily.
Like all professions, teachers are no exception. There are the ones who are there to collect the paycheck and really do not care and the one who are dedicated who really have a geninue interest in doing their best. Unfortunately, I must confess more don't care than do these days in my opinion. The same can be said about taxidermist, there are the ones who only do the best and the ones who do just enough to get by.
And whether you like it or not, the future of our nation is in the hands of the youth today. Remember, they said the same of us 40 years ago!
I wasn't ARGUING that your youth are the future. The whole statement smacks of redundancy. Obviously us OLD people ain't gonna be here in the future. That's why the DUH! Sounded like something Dan Quayle thought up. Or Al Gore more likely. And I agree. Good teachers who kept the classrooms disciplined and learning exciting have been replace by "educators" who seldom leave the school yard until they retire. Cheers to all the exceptions out there. My hat's off and my heart goes out to you.
I may have taken your post about "not having much faith in teachers a little to personal. For that I'm sorry. Our job today is harder than ever today with so many troubled kids, lack of parental supervision, drugs, peer pressure, ect.
My real point is, to get a answer, you have to ask the question, even if it may sound dumb. I didn't have the answer to the question Lesley asked and I'll bet a lot of others didn't either. I most certainly didn't think it was dumb. It was asked, and answered. I'm glad you had an answer, I've never done a boar but if I do, I will remember that it was on here and look it up. Its easier to ask here on the net than for a kid in a classroom, I will guarantee you that.
With some of the kids being the future leaders of our nation is indeed scary, I will agree with that. Having taught over 30 years (I could have already retired if I wanted to) I have seen kids that I thought would never amount to anything become business leaders and those that I thought would become lawyers, become convicts! I try not to judge a kid to quick today because you just never know what the future holds.
Not to step on anyones toes, but Lesley is preparing a Boar SKULL. The question regarded cracked teeth on a skull, with no mention of a taxidermy mount.
The answer lies in the method of preparation of the skull and the drying of it after the skull is properly degreased. The topic takes a lot of typing to explain all of the raminfications. The best source to understand this problem is a recent dissertation on osteological work. http://www.coronetbooks.com/books/dest3582.htm The author is a friend who has spent 30 years researching how and why bones crack, amoung other things. The other sources to consult would be the archives of the two on-line bone collectors sites : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skullclub/ and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bonesteethclawsskullsanimal/ the second archives can only be reached by getting a founder of the first club listed to give you access. You could spend days reading up on skeletal preparation. The archives of this site may also have information - return to the opening forum page and type in cracked teeth.
To answer your precise question "I have noticed that both the upper canine teeth have split in half vertically, from front to back. Is this normal? Do they do this to enable the boar to shed them easily? "
No, in life there is no splitting of the teeth, even on "baby" teeth, those replaced at a later time. Drying, or long tern humidity changes can cause splitting from front to back, or side to side, or both, or the have pieces check off. That is precisely why taxidermists who mount animals use artificial teeth.