Taxidermy is the art and technique of the preserving of an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often portrayed in a lifelike state. Taxidermy means the process of preserving the animal as well as the end product.

Taxidermy is used for preserving mammals, fishes, birds, reptiles as well as insects, aracnids and amphibious. Although traditionally was devoted to preserve hunting trophies, nowadays it serves mainly to natural museums and other training purposes. it is emerging an ethical taxidermy.
 
Techniques: four main methods are used in taxidermy: traditional skin-mount (the tanned skin of the animal is mounted over a structure that could be this own skeleton), freeze-dried mount (once set the animal in the desired posture, it is frozen dried usign a specific drying camera), reproduction mount (creation of an exact replica of the original animal, mainly used for endangered and protected species), and re-creation mount (exact life-size representations of extant or extint species using materials from other animals).
 
Materials:  bodies of animals, bones, skin, metal and wood, plaster, putty, chemical preservatives, etc.