Ian Archibald (born c. 1941) is an Australian taxidermist responsible for the preparation of animal specimens exhibited in Australian museums.

Works

Ian Archibald was not formally trained in

taxidermy Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body by mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proces ...

, instead researching the techniques and receiving correspondence and direct training from experts overseas. Archibald is noted as the creator of a large crocodile specimen in 1979, early in his career, made internationally famous as a promotion for the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

in the aftermath of

Cyclone Tracy Severe Tropical Cyclone Tracy was a small but destructive tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, in December 1974. The small but developing easterly storm was or ...

. This model, Sweetheart, remained as a permanent exhibition at the

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) is the main museum in the Northern Territory. The headquarters of the museum is located in the inner Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin suburb of The Gardens, Northern Territory, The ...

for the next forty years. He was involved in the intricate reconstruction of a ''

Dromornis stirtoni ''Dromornis'' is a genus of large to enormous Fossil birds, prehistoric birds native to Australia during the Oligocene to Pliocene epochs. The species were flightless, possessing greatly reduced wing structures but with large legs, similar to the ...

'' specimen, excavated at the

Alcoota __NOTOC__ The Alcoota Fossil Beds are an important paleontological Lagerstätte in the Northern Territory of Australia located on Alcoota Station in the locality of Anmatjere about north-east of Alice Springs in the Central Australia regi ...

fossil site and a featured exhibition at the Museum of Central Australia; Archibald is reported as preparing most of the animal material at that museum.

Honours

A fossil species '' Mutpuracinus archibaldi'' was named by

Peter F. Murray Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

and Dirk Megirian for Archibald, a Miocene thylacinid described in 2000 from specimens found at Bullock Creek in the Territory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archibald, Ian Taxidermists Australian curators 1940s births Living people