Ray Bandar's Bone Palace 7,000 Animal Skulls

Ray Bandar began his extraordinary collection in 1953 when he found his first skull at Baker Beach in San Francisco. Over the next six decades, he passionately dedicated himself to expanding his collection. When Ray passed away in December 2017 at the age of 90, he left behind over 7,000 animal skulls – most of them displayed across the four floors of his San Francisco home.

In 1958, Ray was appointed Field Research Assistant by the California Academy of Sciences. The Academy supported many of his bone-collecting expeditions, which took him to countries like Mexico and Australia. His collection grew under official scientific authorization from the State of California, issued to him for his research work with the Academy.

For over 32 years, Ray taught biology at Fremont High School in Oakland. In 1990, he retired from teaching to fully dedicate himself to his passion – collecting and preparing bones. When an animal died at the zoos in the Bay Area, he was the first point of contact, allowing him to expand his collection with impressive species such as hippos, tigers, and chimpanzees.

His wife, Alkmene, a talented artist, was a driving force behind many of his collecting adventures. As early as their honeymoon in 1954, she encouraged him to pick up a horse skull by the roadside – a moment that laid the foundation for their shared passion. Although she often accompanied Ray, she joked that the key to their happy marriage was her poor sense of smell!

Ray viewed skulls as works of art, and both he and his wife were enthusiastic artists. The living room already contained some skulls, but that was just a small taste of what awaited us.

Over 7,000 animal skulls filled every corner of the two basement rooms. Each skull was adorned with elaborate handwritten labels – a detail that the California Academy of Sciences wanted to preserve as an essential part of the collection.

Here were more than a thousand marine mammals, countless dog breeds, bears, leopards, rhinos, hippos, giraffes – and so many more fascinating species.

The absolute favorites! The majestic walrus skulls, an entire box full of beaver skulls, and a breathtaking narwhal tusk that Ray once received as a gift from a friend after he had asked if there was anything he hadn't collected himself yet.

Ray also kept snakes – which were allowed to roam freely in the basement.

In the middle of the room, a sign proclaimed:
"There's always room for one more!! Or two or three more."

A motto that perfectly summarizes Ray Bandar's life – an inspiring existence full of curiosity, passion, and dedication to natural science.