Uploaded June 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Dr. Adam Ferguson came down to the mammal prep lab to show us how to skin a skunk. It was the smelliest dissection adventure of my life.
These animals were donated to the Field Museum by licensed agencies; one was brought to a rehabilitation center where it later died, and the other was found dead and collected with the appropriate legal permit. We did not kill these animals for the purpose of making this video.
Both skunks will be prepared as study skins (not taxidermy), and will be made available for research for many decades to come!
To learn more about how specimens are collected and used for research: youtube.com/watch?v=nS8suhK-c5I
More about Dr. Ferguson and his work studying hognose skunks: fieldmuseum.org/about/staff/profile/2381
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Help support our videos! bit.ly/1TjMRAo
Under 'Designation,' put 'The Brain Scoop' - all proceeds go exclusively towards helping the show. We appreciate whatever you can give!
--
Come hang out in our Subreddit: reddit.com/r/thebrainscoop
Instagram.com/egraslie
Twitter: @ehmee
Facebook: facebook.com/thebrainscoop
Tumblr: thebrainscoop.tumblr.com
We have a Newsletter! Sign up for updates!: bit.ly/2oYTY6p
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Producer, Writer, Creator, Host, Camera:
Emily Graslie
Producer, Director, Editor, Graphics:
Brandon Brungard
Producer, Camera:
Sheheryar Ahsan
---------------------------------------------------------------------
This episode is filmed at and supported by The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.
fieldmuseum.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Adam Ferguson came down to the mammal prep lab to show us how to skin a skunk. It was the smelliest dissection adventure of my life.
These animals were donated to the Field Museum by licensed agencies; one was brought to a rehabilitation center where it later died, and the other was found dead and collected with the appropriate legal permit. We did not kill these animals for the purpose of making this video.
Both skunks will be prepared as study skins (not taxidermy), and will be made available for research for many decades to come!
To learn more about how specimens are collected and used for research: youtube.com/watch?v=nS8suhK-c5I
More about Dr. Ferguson and his work studying hognose skunks: fieldmuseum.org/about/staff/profile/2381
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Help support our videos! bit.ly/1TjMRAo
Under 'Designation,' put 'The Brain Scoop' - all proceeds go exclusively towards helping the show. We appreciate whatever you can give!
--
Come hang out in our Subreddit: reddit.com/r/thebrainscoop
Instagram.com/egraslie
Twitter: @ehmee
Facebook: facebook.com/thebrainscoop
Tumblr: thebrainscoop.tumblr.com
We have a Newsletter! Sign up for updates!: bit.ly/2oYTY6p
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Producer, Writer, Creator, Host, Camera:
Emily Graslie
Producer, Director, Editor, Graphics:
Brandon Brungard
Producer, Camera:
Sheheryar Ahsan
---------------------------------------------------------------------
This episode is filmed at and supported by The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.
fieldmuseum.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------









![The Fer-de-Lance
We found so many snakes with Pablo that we decided to have a few episodes devoted to these beautiful and often misunderstood creatures. First: the common Fer-de-lance!
This is a segment in a series about The Field Museums Rapid Inventory No. 27, a journey through the forests between the rivers Tapiche and Blanco in Peru. Every year, the Museums conservation group [the Action Center!] gathers together leading scientific experts across a number of disciplines (botany, zoology, geology, and anthropology) in order to gain an understanding of little-known areas of the rainforest. They work with local communities and their governments to help inform decisions made for conserving these unique, precious, and threatened parts of the world.
To learn more about the Rapid Inventory program, check out the other Amazon Adventures!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL8_5VpX9TxqmGwqyDGzSg0EXLiFo-c7D
Read more about The Field Museums Rapid Inventory programs: http://www.fieldmuseum.org/science/blog/rapid-inventories
This expedition would not have been possible without the generosity and help of Corine Vriesendorp, Nigel Pitman, Alvaro del Campo, Tyana Wachter, Ernesto Ruelas, and the rest of the Rapid Inventory team. Thank you for allowing us to join you on this journey, and for giving us the trip of a lifetime.
Special thanks to Pablo Venegas for showing us so many amazing creatures during this expedition! Nobody knows snakes like Pablo.
Subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/thebrainscoop/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thebrainscoop
Producer, Writer, Creator, Host:
Emily Graslie
Producer, Writer, Editor, Camera:
Tom McNamara
Theme music:
Michael Aranda
Created By:
Hank Green
Production Assistant:
Katie Kirby
Supported by:
The Field Museum in Chicago, IL
(http://www.fieldmuseum.org)
Filmed on location between the rivers Tapiche and Blanco in Peru.
Dont you think our transcriber, Waris Mohammad, and our translators, Tony Chu, Barbara Velázquez, and Martina Šafusová look particularly -striking- today? The Fer-de-Lance](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jEpn1JXH-jY/mqdefault.jpg)
