Museum of Osteology

The museum focuses on the form and function of the skeletal system, with numerous educational and taxonomic displays featuring all five classes of vertebrates. The museum hosts educational events targeted towards all age groups. Museum guests also have the opportunity to touch bones and take pictures with fully articulated skeletons. ==History==

Jay Villemarette, founder of the company Skulls Unlimited International, Inc., established the museum alongside his family. Skulls Unlimited's offices and processing facilities are located next to the museum. Villemarette created the museum with the goal of displaying his collection and making osteology more accessible to the public. In 2015, the Museum of Osteology opened a second location in Orlando, Florida. In 2020, the Florida location closed, and the collections were combined. == Exhibits ==

The museum offers many exhibits from all five vertebrate classes. Floating exhibits are available throughout the museum, with whale skeletons hanging from the ceiling. All the specimens on display are cleaned at the Skulls Unlimited building next door, using dermestid beetles before being articulated and then put on display. The exhibits display a wide range of topics, including locomotion, adaptation, and forensic osteology and pathology. The museum also offers scavenger hunts and activities aimed at children and parents. The museum also displays human skeletons that have been donated to science and purchased by the museum. == Notable specimens ==

• Humpback whale – One of twelve fully-articulated skeletons in North America, it washed ashore in 2003, was buried for two years, and then cleaned by Skulls Unlimited International. • Javan rhino – This is the rarest specimen in the collection. • Cetacean collection – The museum houses the largest private collection of cetacean skeletons, including whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The collection at the museum holds 46 different species. ==Reception==

The museum has faced criticism for displaying human remains that have been donated to science. Speaking on the topic of body donation in the United States, John Oliver criticized the museum for displaying human bones in ways that the donors may have not intended, saying, "When most people think about donating their bodies to science, they picture it in a reputable educational institution, not in some roadside bone collection, face-down, ass-up, arranged in a formation best described as a Cirque du Soleil performer's favorite sex position". ==References==