Museum of Osteology

Private museum devoted to osteology, in Oklahoma, U.S.

Skeletons: Museum of Osteology (Oklahoma City)

The museum in 2022

Established| 2010; 15 years ago (2010)
Location| Oklahoma City, United States
Coordinates| 35°21′55″N 97°26′33″W﻿ / ﻿35.3654°N 97.4426°W﻿ / 35.3654; -97.4426
Type| Natural history museum
Collection size| 7,000+ skeletal specimens
Visitors| 500,000+
Director| Jay Villemarette
Owner| Jay Villemarette
Website| skeletonmuseum.com

The Museum of Osteology, located in Oklahoma City, U.S., is a private museum devoted to the study of bones and skeletons (osteology). The museum displays over 450 skeletons of animal species from all over the world.[1] With another 7,000 specimens as part of the collection, but not on display, this is the largest privately held collection of osteological specimens in the world.[2][3][4] The museum is an entity of its parent company, Skulls Unlimited International.

## Overview

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The museum focuses on the form and function of the skeletal system with numerous educational and taxonomic displays featuring all five classes of vertebrate.[4] The collections housed by the Museum of Osteology are the result of over 40 years of collecting by Jay Villemarette.[5] The collections consist of approximately 7,000 specimens representing over 1,800 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.[6]

The museum hosts educational events targeted towards all age groups.[7][8] Museum guests also have the opportunity to touch bones and take pictures with fully articulated skeletons.[9]

## History

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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.[2] Construction of the museum began in 2004, and it opened to the public on October 1, 2010.[2][3][10][11] Villemarette created the museum with the goal of displaying his collection and making osteology more accessible to the public.[12][13] In 2015, the Museum of Osteology opened a second location in Orlando, Florida.[14] In 2020, the Florida location closed, and the collections were combined.[15][16]

## Exhibits

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The artiodactyl exhibit at the museum.

The museum offers many exhibits from all five vertebrate classes. There are also floating exhibits throughout the museum and whales hanging from the ceiling.[17] All the specimens on display are cleaned at the Skulls Unlimited building next door, using dermestid beetles[18] before being articulated and then put on display.[19] The exhibits display a wide range of topics, including locomotion, adaptation, and forensic osteology and pathology.[9][20] The museum also offers scavenger hunts and activities aimed at children and parents.[9]

The Museum of Osteology partners with zoos, aquariums, wildlife centers, nature preserves, sport hunters, and private donors to source its specimens.[21][22][23] The museum also displays human skeletons that have been donated to science and purchased by the museum.[24]

## Notable specimens

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* Humpback whale – One of 12 fully articulated skeletons in North America. It washed ashore in 2003, was buried for two years and then cleaned by Skulls Unlimited International.[17] The whale was featured on an episode of Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs, titled "Skull Cleaner", where Rowe helped clean the skeleton.[25]
* Javan rhino – The rarest specimen in the collection.[26]
* Cetacean collection – The museum houses the largest private collection of cetacean skeletons. This includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. The collection at the museum holds 46 different species.[23]

## Controversy

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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 that "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".[27]

## References

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1. ^ "Skeletons: Animals Unveiled! I-Drive 360". www.blooloop.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
2. ^ a b c Urstadt, Brian (January 7, 2006). "I'm Going to Rib-cage World". Outside. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
3. ^ a b Raymond, Jeff (March 26, 2007). "Skeleton Crew". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 15, 2023 - via newsok.com.
4. ^ a b Wheelbarger, Brent (October 1, 2008). "The Bone Collectors; The Biggest Skeletal Collection in the World Right Here in Moore Oklahoma". Moore Monthly - via Skulls Unlimited. (PDF via Internet Archive)
5. ^ Horton, Greg (October 25, 2006). "Bone Collector". Oklahoma Gazette. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
6. ^ Brus, Brian (May 27, 2009). "Skull Junkie Finds Solid Future in Skeleton Frontier". The Journal Record. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
7. ^ "Category: Upcoming Events". Skeleton Museum. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
8. ^ "5 "Bone"-afide Reasons to visit the Museum of Osteology". MetroFamily. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
9. ^ a b c Riester, Sara (May 29, 2019) [August 11, 2012]. "The Museum of Osteology—Dirty Jobs, Cool Bones & More!". MetroFamily. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
10. ^ Dinger, Matt (November 15, 2010). "Museum Opens in Southeast Oklahoma City". The Daily Oklahoman.
11. ^ Gray, Aaron Wright (October 30, 2010). "Villemarette Gets His Skeletons Out of the Closet". Norman Transcript. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
12. ^ "Museum of Osteology | Okie Geek – Podcast on Goodpods". Goodpods. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
13. ^ Bone Museum Oklahoma – Museum Of Osteology. Florida TV. November 11, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2022 - via YouTube.
14. ^ American, Anna Aguilar For The. "Skeleton museum opens". The Moore American. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
15. ^ Smith, Jessie Christopher (January 23, 2022). "It's In His Bones: Skull Collector Sees OKC Skeleton Museum Success as Childhood Dream". The Oklahoman. pp. 8a – 9a.
16. ^ "Central Florida skeleton museum closes its doors at Icon Park". WKMG. January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
17. ^ a b Transcript, Aaron Wright Gray – The Norman. "Villemarette gets the skeletons out of the closet". Norman Transcript. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
18. ^ "Where 'how greasy a human is' is part of the job". NBC News. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
19. ^ Urstadt, Bryant (January 7, 2006). "I'm Going to Rib-Cage World". Outside Online. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
20. ^ "SKELETONS: Museum Of Osteology; #2 in Best Thing To Do In Oklahoma City". US News Travel. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
21. ^ "Museum of Osteology and Skulls Unlimited". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
22. ^ "Life as a skull cleaner is a messy job". Reuters. April 3, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
23. ^ a b Brus, Brian (October 26, 2010). "A real skeleton crew: Museum of Osteology opens in Moore". The Journal Record. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
24. ^ Body Brokers | CBS Reports. CBS News. March 23, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2025 - via YouTube.
25. ^ Rowe, Mike (July 11, 2006). "Skull Cleaner". Dirty Jobs. Season 1. Episode 27. Discovery. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
26. ^ "Museum of Osteology and Skulls Unlimited". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
27. ^ Organ & Body Donations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO). HBO. December 3, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2025 - via YouTube.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Museum of Osteology.

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Museums in the Oklahoma City Metro

Oklahoma City|

* 99s Museum of Women Pilots
* Museum of Osteology
* National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
* Oklahoma City Museum of Art
* Oklahoma City National Memorial
* Oklahoma Contemporary
* Oklahoma History Center
* Science Museum Oklahoma
* The American Pigeon Museum & Library

Norman|

* Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
* Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

Shawnee|

* Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art

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