This is called anthropomorphic taxidermy art. It is a real squirrel dressed as Queen Victoria mounted in a shadow box perfect for hanging on your wall. Crafted by Etsy seller lovedtodeath, this could be yours for only $495.00. Link -via Everlasting Blort

Artist Reid Peppard makes fashion accessories out of dead animals. Imagine cufflinks made from little mouse heads, a coin purse that was once a rat, or headbands with real wings. Shown is a hair comb made from a guinea pig. Link -via Digg

Instructables has a detailed set of how to’s to let you convert your computer case into a taxidermy beaver. Nothing says quality technology like dead animals. It’s pretty easy, just look at step one:

Purchase a beaver of your very own
There are lots of old taxidermy mounts out there – garage sales, antique stores, ebay are all good sources for older pieces. You’ll probably want a high quality mount since you’ll be removing the bulk of the internal structure, so better quality (ie not falling apart) probably means stronger.

Link

Neatoramanaut Cat and Brat told us of a bizarre yet strangely compelling museum in central Alberta, Canada: The World Famous Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington. The main attraction of the museum are 47 dioramas featuring taxidermied gophers dressed up in various poses by artist Shelly Haase: Link – Thanks Cat & Brat!

RoadTrip America also has a review of the museum:

Ironically, it was not artistry, but politics and timing that generated the most publicity for the new enterprise. The Gopher Hole Museum opened its doors in 1996, and it wasn’t long before People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) got wind of the project. Voila. Instant world fame for the tiny hamlet of Torrington, Alberta. Even though it wasn’t what they had in mind, the citizens of Torrington aren’t complaining. They created the museum to increase tourism, and they don’t seem to mind at all if it’s PETA that gets the word out.

"The gophers are a tremendous problem for the farmers here," explained Angie. "We have to kill them. Is it so bad to put them on display afterwards?"

Previously on Neatorama:
- 10 Strange and Obscure American Museums
- Unexpected Places on the National Historic Landmark List

Admit that you’ve always wanted a dead squirrel mounted to your exact specifications, such as the special forces squirrel in the picture above. Rick Nadeau decorates his taxidermy projects with items from G.I. Joe figures.

This might be a good time to enter the Neatorama Mystery Sale.

Link via Double Plus Undead

Chad Garrison of the St. Louis Daily Riverfront Times blog shows us what "masters of masters" taxidermists can do, in this gallery of the 2009 World Taxidermy and Fish Carving Championships in St. Louis, Missouri: Link

What do you get when you combine taxidermy with gadget hacking? Instructables users noahw and canida released the step-by-step instruction on how to make your very own taxidermied computer mouse: Link – via Rue The Day!

The Dovima, as the shoe is known, is beautiful (and slightly creepy) thanks to the rose pink-dyed taxidermy birds perched delicately on each toe. Each stuffed bird also has a crystal-encrusted head and is further complemented by 24 ct gold-coated mesh, silk, ribbons, and crocodile-skin rosettes. Plus every pair comes with special protective crocodile or snakeskin platforms that attach before you wear them to keep the shoes from ever touching the ground.

Link -via J-Walk Blog

I don’t post a lot of links to eBay auctions (the links expire too quickly) but this one by jdwildlifeartistry is too weird to pass up. Behold a gray squirrel soldier holding a rifle, mounted on a plaque!

Link | the eBay Auction

More weird eBay auctions at Urlesque’s Today in eBay feature.

This YouTube video is about Toby the dog and Sheila the duck who adopted him at the Mac Kenzie farm. The video, first spotted at Cute Overload, has gone viral because of the sheer WTF-ishness of it (is that a word? No? It should be!).

The video is subtitled in Spanish, but you really don’t need to speak a whit of Spanish to understand what happened. And be prepared to be amazed: Hit play or go to Link [YouTube]

Update 11/24/08 – It’s a viral ad by an Argentinian ISP called Arnet – Thanks Demian!