The BBC reports a Victorian museum collection selling over five hundred items including more than 200 taxidermy pieces that have sold for more than £280,000 at auction.
The collection included stuffed dead animals and others made to look like mythical creatures.
A giant stuffed tortoise fetched the most at £6,000, a "unicorn" sold for £2,800 while a "yeti" went for £650. Other items in the sale included a mermaid, a hare with antlers (jackalope?) and a cat with wings.
In Victorian times, taxidermy - the process of stuffing dead animals and placing them in lifelike poses - was very fashionable.
Matthew Denney from the auction house said: "There are still some collectors out there who want to buy this sort of thing, and it's a way of appreciating the natural world and the lions and zebras are very beautiful, beautiful creatures.
"You don't normally get the chance to see these items up close. The level of interest has been huge."
EXTERNAL LINKS
The BBC Article
Victorian Taxidermy
