Os Venator Taxidermy Australia

12/06/2024

A neat little warthog trophy done for one of my repeat clients.
Unfortunately it was incorrectly cleaned by the overseas processors but some TLC and repair work brought it up nicely!

15/09/2023

"Gorbash" the bearded dragon went home a few days ago.
For such a relatively small pet memorial piece he presented big dramas in getting him degreased!
After a rough start in life he was rescued and spoiled rotten and it showed!

02/04/2023

May be my hostage proof-of-life photo but getting the chance to be part of an article bringing to light otherwise dying trades was a really unique moment

14/02/2023

Personal piece. Horse hoof articulation.
The long road that is degreasing.
This was a paddock find so the remains had been exposed to all kinds of weather and conditions and the oils had soaked through every part of the bone matrix making this a very lengthy clean.

15/11/2022

3 × bird skull begginer collector packs just in time for Xmas.
Each pack contains;
1 × Chicken
1 × Pigeon
1 × European Starling and,
1 × Japanese Quail
$1️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ per pack plus $1️⃣0️⃣ tracked postage anywhere in Aus.
Pm for more info.

03/10/2022

This fantastic commission piece went home to their new owner this weekend!
The client asked for a cat and something unusual. Instead of the classic walking pose I went with the always awkward cat licking its bum look.
I could not be happier with how this piece came out!

11/07/2022

11/07/2022

11/07/2022

29/06/2022

Pet commission piece.
The client was after something slightly different to the usual and after some discussion we both thought the cat grasping a bird (introduced European starling in this case) in it's mouth would be amazing. Initially a leaping pose was suggested however due to engineering constraints a stepping pose was settled on (also due to engineering issues the toes aren't as "bunched up" as normal however that gave me the option to have the piece free-standing rather than huge obvious wires and supports).

24/05/2022

Pet memorial piece of this old pug.
You can really see how hard these guys struggle to breathe day to day when it's just the skull laid clean and bare.

13/03/2022

A restoration project many months in the making.
I was commissioned to clean this Australian Sea Lion for a contact with the Sydney museum.
This particular piece was collected from a beach in northern NSW some 50yrs ago.
Years of oxisided grease and oils left a very strong orangey/rust stain that refused to budge for an extremely long time.
Despite the years since being collected I still managed to remove a sizeable amount of sand from the inner cavities.
Suffice to say I could not be happier with the end results!

29/01/2022

Cleaned up this MASSIVE billy goat for my neighbour. Those horns are almost 4 inches wide at the base

19/12/2021

'tis the season!

07/12/2021

4 fantastic pieces gone home to the client!
First one is a feral goat with a massive spread on the horns. This piece was very heavy thanks to all the horn bone!
Second goat rack was a first time hunters trophy piece. Excellent smooth curve to the horns and a piece that will hold memories for years to come.
Third is a deer that suffered several breaks to his antlers. He was harvested during the heaviest part of the rut and definitely fought hard.
Last but not least is a huge doe complete with recessive tusks! Not overly uncommon but always fascinating to see. This doe skull was macerated in iron rich soil prior to coming to me and although fully cleaned it does have that antique patina to it now!

26/11/2021

Two uniquely injured boars for two different clients.
First one has a HUGE scar running up its forehead. Most likely from being gouged by another boars tusk. This one has some really nicely curved grinders too.

Second boar has 6 neat, healed circular holes through its forehead. Suspected shotgun wounds. Old boars like him can take a huge amount of damage and keep going, so if it was shot, it was only enough to damage the bone without penetrating through to the softer tissues.

01/10/2021

Hardest working members of the team.
Dermestes Maculatus.
Dermestid beetles.
Flesh eating beetles.
Mostly larvae you can see in this photo under the red UV lamp cleaning up some sheep and rabbit skulls.
Tireless, hungry, and fascinating wee beasties.

01/07/2021

Put together one of my own pigeons.
I would see them puff their chests and flap their wings like this and do this "fight me" pose so I wanted to recreate a little pugilistic pigeon.

02/06/2021

Trophy wall mount board for a repeat client.
Aged timber scorched and sealed with angled pig jaws to really show off the hooks in full glory!
Top set was a juvenile and the adult teeth can be seen erupting underneath. Bottom set has bilateral tooth infections probably caused by chewing damage. I'm always fascinated by the injuries wild pigs sustain and the pathology shows up on the bones.

20/05/2021

Awesome set of hooks on this boar that went back to a repeat client the other day.
Even more unique this guy had a healed suspected bullet hole in the skull!

16/03/2021

Billy goats gruff went home to their owner today.
I'm really happy with how clean the horn sheaths came out given how much they like to scratch them against things leaving all sorts of dirt and oils to work its way in. Custom wood round plaques are also a great way to show off the texture and colours of pieces like these making each one unique.
The horn set with the 2 baby goat skulls in the first pic will be displayed at which is just amazing 🤘

05/03/2021

No roast beef, no going to market.
All these piggies however are going home!
A massive undertaking from the deadheads they came to me as, to the fully cleaned and rebuilt specimens they are now.