This AK-47 Is Made Entirely of Bone -- Its Magazine Formed From 10 Rabbit Skulls

A New Zealand-based artist doesn't use paint, clay or beads as his medium of expression -- he's a bone artist. And his latest creation up for auction starting at a few thousand dollars is in the likeness of a full-size AK-47.

(Photo: trademe.co.nz/Mahalski)

According to the description on the auction site, Trademe.co.nz, the work of art by Mahalski is composed entirely of sheep, hawk, wallaby, snake, hedgehog, seal, cat and even an extinct moa bones, among other animals.

(Photo: trademe.co.nz/Mahalski)

According to Mahalski's website featuring this work, the stock of the entirely bone gun includes the skull of a seal. If you looked above and to the left, you'll see the skull of the extinct moa, a flightless bird native to New Zealand that he claims to have found in a Golden Bay cave. The magazine of the gun is comprised of 10 rabbit skulls, which the website states are "interlaced on one side with the skulls of broad-billed prions and filled with vertebrae and other bones from small birds and mammals."

(Photo: trademe.co.nz/Mahalski)

(Photo: trademe.co.nz/Mahalski)

In the comments on the auction site, Mahalski explained that he collects dead animals -- sometimes while they're still in a state of decay -- to claim their bones.

"Some people might consider it ghoulish to collect bits of dead animals but to me it isn’t about death – it’s about life," Mahalski said in the "about" section on his website."

As far as we can tell, the AK-47 is made completely out of bone and might not a working firearm. In the comments, Mahalski calls it a "bio-mechanical sculpture."

Someone asked what sort of license would be required to own it. Mahalski responded saying it was a "developmental weapon" that is "not yet covered by any arms control acts so you can possess this gun with a clear conscience."

As for what the emotion the art is meant to express, a commenter also noted that it could have many different interpretations. Mahalski wrote that he preferred not to divulge his own thoughts about it but that he hoped "people can judge this object on its own merits [...]."

The starting bid is set at $3,500 and the auction ends April 2.

See more of Mahalski's bone art, which include other bone guns, on his Facebook page or his website.

(H/T: Huffington Post)