A girl poses next to a plastinated elephant during the media viewing for the exhibition "Animal Inside Out" at the Natural History Museum in London April 3, 2012. The exhibition which runs from April 6 to September 16 features almost 100 specimens showing intricate anatomical detail.Reuters
A girl poses next to a plastinated elephant during the media viewing for the exhibition "Animal Inside Out" at the Natural History Museum in London April 3, 2012. The exhibition which runs from April 6 to September 16 features almost 100 specimens showing intricate anatomical detail.ReutersA employee poses next to a plastinated gorilla during the media viewing for the exhibition "Animal Inside Out" at the Natural History Museum in London April 3, 2012. The exhibition which runs from April 6 to September 16 features almost 100 specimens showing intricate anatomical detail.ReutersAn employee poses next to a plastinated shark during the media viewing for the exhibition "Animal Inside Out" at the Natural History Museum in London April 3, 2012. The exhibition which runs from April 6 to September 16 features almost 100 specimens showing intricate anatomical detail.ReutersAn employee poses next to plastinated reindeers during the media viewing for the exhibition "Animal Inside Out" at the Natural History Museum in London April 3, 2012. The exhibition which runs from April 6 to September 16 features almost 100 specimens showing intricate anatomical detail.ReutersA man poses next to a plastinated goat during the media viewing for the exhibition "Animal Inside Out" at the Natural History Museum in London April 3, 2012. The exhibition which runs from April 6 to September 16 features almost 100 specimens showing intricate anatomical detail.ReutersAn employee poses next to a plastinated bull during the media viewing for the exhibition "Animal Inside Out" at the Natural History Museum in London April 3, 2012. The exhibition which runs from April 6 to September 16 features almost 100 specimens showing intricate anatomical detail.Reuters
German artist Gunther von Hagens has created the Natural History Museum's latest exhibition - displays of the insides of 100 "plastinated" animal specimens.
Titled "Animal Inside Out", the exhibition which runs from 6 April to 16 Sep, will display the inner workings of goats, giraffes, octopuses and ostriches among others.
A porbeagle shark with its skin removed to reveal the circulatory system is one highlight. Coloured liquid resin was injected into the main arterial network.
"We really want visitors to learn more about the anatomy and physiology of the animals that are on display. It's a really unique chance for visitors to sort of see under the skin of animals and see them in a way that they've never seen them before," the Telegraph quoted Georgina Bishop, curator at the Natural History Museum saying.
Besides the shark, the exhibition features a four-tonne elephant named Samba which was donated to von Hagens' team after she died at the age of 41 in Neukirchen Zoo. It took a team of 30 people over three years to complete the preservation process of the 13ft tall Asian elephant.
The prime aim of preserving the animals was for scientific and educational study. The process used to preserve the animals called plastination was invented by von Hagens in 1977. It involves extracting all water and fatty tissues from the specimen and replacing them with polymers in a vacuum. The plastination process stops the decay of dead bodies and prepares specimens for scientific and medical education. It is an odourless form of preservation and lasts a long time.
Start the slideshow to catch a glimpse of the plastinated exhibits at the Natural History Museum in London:
