Smoothtail [Blue] Devil Ray

Scalyhead Sculpin

Butterfly Ray

Little Skate

Dr. Adam P. Summers took the photographs of the fish skeletons shown here. His unusual photography exhibit was on display at the Seattle aquarium when we visited it last month. The fish were specially treated to make their stained skeletal tissues visible through the skin and flesh. His technique uses dyes, hydrogen peroxide, a digestive enzyme and glycerin to make the flesh seem to disappear. This technique is only effective on specimens that are less than about half an inch in thickness. It takes much long for thick specimens than thin ones. A small fish might only take a few days to process, while a larger animal could take several months.

PS – This is my 3001st post!