Andalusia Elementary School fourth graders got a chance to get a hands-on feel of skins and skulls Thursday afternoon.

Soil and Water Conservation Education Specialist Suzi Mersmann presented a program using the Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s Skins ‘N Skulls.

Mersmann said that Andalusia native and Coffee County 4-H Foundation Regional Extension Agent Katelyn Ellis provided the kit.

Third graders at Straughn Elementary School feel a white-tailed deer skin

The Skins ‘N Skulls kit has real animal skins from 11 different species of wildlife native to Alabama. It also includes examples of the skulls from each of the species.

“It was great because they got to touch the skins of many of our native mammals,” she said. “They got to compare the teeth of carnivores and herbivores and learned how they use their habitats.”

Mersmann said there are 62 native wild mammals in Alabama.

Among the mammals the students got to touch were the white-tailed deer, beaver, red fox, skunk, grey fox, raccoon and rabbit.

“The deer, of course, is thick and coarse; the beaver is waterproof and the fox is soft and fluffy,” she said. “I was super excited to present this to the children.”

Mersmann said she had the opportunity to show the program to second graders at AES on Tuesday and did the program at Straughn Elementary School third graders last week.