Museums from Womb to Tomb

Oklahoma City may have the usual museums centered around the west, its history, the native Americans, military, etc. but I skipped all of those.  I was determined to find something different and I sure did.  The Alfred Murrah Building Memorial was the start then I read about something called "The Womb".  

I went looking for it and discovered this building that gave me little or no information but lots of interesting psychedelic designs....

...and a padlock on the front door with no sign saying when or if they would reopen.  I still do not know what "The Womb" is about but if anyone knows....

Next stop, "Skulls Unlimited".  I thought it might be something related to Halloween ...

...but it was really, and seriously, about Skeletons, lots of them.

I discovered the museum by accident--a tiny brochure on the bottom shelf in an information center along the Interstate.  I tucked the brochure in my purse and almost forgot about it but, well,  it pays sometimes to clean out your purse.

I drove several miles out into the country to find a rather nondescript building that, on the outside, gave no hint as to the amazing displays inside.

The evolution of Skulls Unlimited began in 1972 when, at the age of seven, Jay Villemarette found a dog skull.  When Jay's father saw his interest, he encouraged Jay to find and collect other skulls.   

In 1978, Jay entered his growing collection in his 6th grade science fair, receiving a 'Superior' award.  That following year Jay won fifth place in the Oklahoma State Fair.  After graduating high school Jay began selling skulls in his spare time and eventually turned this unusual hobby into a business.

In 1990, Jay opened Skulls Unlimited's first retail location in Oklahoma City.  Today, Skulls Unlimited has a worldwide reputation for having ......the largest variety of natural bone and replica osteological specimens.



The pictures in this posting are only the tiniest example of what is on display in this private museum. I have seen many dinosaur bones, prehistoric fish bones, fossilized insects, etc. but I do not recall ever seeing such a collection of modern animals and people.  It was both beautiful and educational.

Vertebrates

Animals that possess a vertebral column or 'Backbone'.  This includes mammals, birds, reptiles,  amphibians, and many species of fish.

Diana Monkey

FOOT BINDING

Foot binding was a practice performed on Chinese girls that dates from the early  10th century to as recent as the early 20th century.  This process involved breaking bones in the young girl's feet.  Next the foot was tightly bound to prevent it from growing. Once healed, the girls were not likely to be able to walk.  Although debated, it is believed that foot binding was performed due to a fetish for small feet.  The skeletal feet on display here compare a deformed, bound foot to a normally developed woman's foot.

TREPHINATION

Trephination, also known as trepanning, is a surgical procedure in which a hole is drilled or cut into the human skull.  This procedure exposes the brain and allows access to treat injuries and disease.  Evidence of this has been found in prehistoric human remains as long ago as 6500 BCE.  Most ancient trephined skulls exhibit signs of bone healing, suggesting that the patients survived. The skull is a modern and successful Trepanning.

Over 2000 years old, these deformed skulls originate from Peru. 

 The act of elongating the skull was achieved by binding the head of a child 

with cloth, rope and boards.  As the child's skull grew and developed it would elongate.

Both trephination and head binding date back nearly 9000 years.

 

(The whale skeleton above shows two small vestigial bones in the rear area before the tale.) 

Vestigial Bones

Whales and dolphins possess small remnant bones that are once part of the pelvis.  Called Vestigial bones, these bones are evidence that whales as well as some other marine mammals such as manatees, had a land dwelling ancestor that walked on four legs.  As these mammals adapted and evolved to an aquatic existence, the need for these rear legs diminished.  Over millions of years the limbs atrophied and eventually disappeared, leaving only these vestigial remnants behind.

(Here is a better view of those two bones.) 

White handed Gibbon

Lowland Gorilla

Human Evolution is defined as 'change in the genetic material of a population of organisms.  Over time, evolution can result in the emergence of new species.  Human evolution refers to the processes that led to Homo Sapiens being a distinct species.

A human and a Bonobo.  (Cousins)

One mechanism of evolution is natural selection, the process where helpful traits that increase the chance of survival and reproduction become more common in a population.  This occurs because individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to adapt, survive and reproduce, thus passing along those helpful traits to the next generation.  Individuals with harmful traits are more likely to die.

  

(The skulls in this exhibit are replicas, sculpted from one of a kind archaeological finds.  The original specimens reside in various museums around the world.)

Adaptation is a process of nature in which an organism becomes better suited to its habitat.  Over time, small mutations can accumulate and result in substantial changes in a population.  Natural selection of mutations that are best-suited for survival, lead to evolution.

It is a measurable, observable scientific fact that evolution occurs.

A Labrador Retriever

American Buffalo

This Rhinoceros foot ashtray is a relic of the past.  At one time, hunting trophies like this were popular and easily obtainable.  Today, many species such as the black rhino, are endangered due to over-hunting over the past 100 years.  All endangered species dare now protected and are no longer allowed to be hunted.

The skull of a giraffe

An Argali Sheep

A Beaked Whale

Killer Whale

 Bats

Alligator or Crocodile?

Aren't snake skeletons the prettiest?

The following skeleton was of special interest to me.  My Aunt Louise suffers from Kyphosis of the Spine, due in large part to an auto accident some 10 years ago.

Kyphosis of the Spine

Kyphosis, also called hunchback, is a condition where the upper spine curves causing a slouching posture.  It can be either the result of arthritis, osteoporosis or trauma.

All descriptions in Italics are from the literature presented at the museum.  The photos were shot through glass and there was a lot of reflection from the lights so they are not as clear as I would have liked.  I definitely suggest, if you are ever in or near Oklahoma City, that you visit Skulls Unlimited.