diff --git a/skimage/morphology/_skel.pyx b/skimage/morphology/_skel.pyx
index 49d69e9e..273384e1 100644
--- a/skimage/morphology/_skel.pyx
+++ b/skimage/morphology/_skel.pyx
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ from __future__ import division, print_function, absolute_import
 from libc.string cimport memcpy
 
 import numpy as np
-from numpy cimport npy_intp, npy_uint8
+from numpy cimport npy_intp, npy_uint8, ndarray
 cimport cython
 
 ctypedef npy_uint8 pixel_type
@@ -233,140 +233,16 @@ def fill_Euler_LUT():
 
     This is column $\delta G_{26}$ of Table 2 of [Lee94]_.
     """
-    LUT = np.zeros(256, dtype=np.intc)
-
-    LUT[1]  =  1
-    LUT[3]  = -1
-    LUT[5]  = -1
-    LUT[7]  =  1
-    LUT[9]  = -3
-    LUT[11] = -1
-    LUT[13] = -1
-    LUT[15] =  1
-    LUT[17] = -1
-    LUT[19] =  1
-    LUT[21] =  1
-    LUT[23] = -1
-    LUT[25] =  3
-    LUT[27] =  1
-    LUT[29] =  1
-    LUT[31] = -1
-    LUT[33] = -3
-    LUT[35] = -1
-    LUT[37] =  3
-    LUT[39] =  1
-    LUT[41] =  1
-    LUT[43] = -1
-    LUT[45] =  3
-    LUT[47] =  1
-    LUT[49] = -1
-    LUT[51] =  1
-
-    LUT[53] =  1
-    LUT[55] = -1
-    LUT[57] =  3
-    LUT[59] =  1
-    LUT[61] =  1
-    LUT[63] = -1
-    LUT[65] = -3
-    LUT[67] =  3
-    LUT[69] = -1
-    LUT[71] =  1
-    LUT[73] =  1
-    LUT[75] =  3
-    LUT[77] = -1
-    LUT[79] =  1
-    LUT[81] = -1
-    LUT[83] =  1
-    LUT[85] =  1
-    LUT[87] = -1
-    LUT[89] =  3
-    LUT[91] =  1
-    LUT[93] =  1
-    LUT[95] = -1
-    LUT[97] =  1
-    LUT[99] =  3
-    LUT[101] =  3
-    LUT[103] =  1
-
-    LUT[105] =  5
-    LUT[107] =  3
-    LUT[109] =  3
-    LUT[111] =  1
-    LUT[113] = -1
-    LUT[115] =  1
-    LUT[117] =  1
-    LUT[119] = -1
-    LUT[121] =  3
-    LUT[123] =  1
-    LUT[125] =  1
-    LUT[127] = -1
-    LUT[129] = -7
-    LUT[131] = -1
-    LUT[133] = -1
-    LUT[135] =  1
-    LUT[137] = -3
-    LUT[139] = -1
-    LUT[141] = -1
-    LUT[143] =  1
-    LUT[145] = -1
-    LUT[147] =  1
-    LUT[149] =  1
-    LUT[151] = -1
-    LUT[153] =  3
-    LUT[155] =  1
-
-    LUT[157] =  1
-    LUT[159] = -1
-    LUT[161] = -3
-    LUT[163] = -1
-    LUT[165] =  3
-    LUT[167] =  1
-    LUT[169] =  1
-    LUT[171] = -1
-    LUT[173] =  3
-    LUT[175] =  1
-    LUT[177] = -1
-    LUT[179] =  1
-    LUT[181] =  1
-    LUT[183] = -1
-    LUT[185] =  3
-    LUT[187] =  1
-    LUT[189] =  1
-    LUT[191] = -1
-    LUT[193] = -3
-    LUT[195] =  3
-    LUT[197] = -1
-    LUT[199] =  1
-    LUT[201] =  1
-    LUT[203] =  3
-    LUT[205] = -1
-    LUT[207] =  1
-
-    LUT[209] = -1
-    LUT[211] =  1
-    LUT[213] =  1
-    LUT[215] = -1
-    LUT[217] =  3
-    LUT[219] =  1
-    LUT[221] =  1
-    LUT[223] = -1
-    LUT[225] =  1
-    LUT[227] =  3
-    LUT[229] =  3
-    LUT[231] =  1
-    LUT[233] =  5
-    LUT[235] =  3
-    LUT[237] =  3
-    LUT[239] =  1
-    LUT[241] = -1
-    LUT[243] =  1
-    LUT[245] =  1
-    LUT[247] = -1
-    LUT[249] =  3
-    LUT[251] =  1
-    LUT[253] =  1
-    LUT[255] = -1
+    cdef int arr[128]
+    arr[:] = [1, -1, -1, 1, -3, -1, -1, 1, -1, 1, 1, -1, 3, 1, 1, -1, -3, -1,
+                 3, 1, 1, -1, 3, 1, -1, 1, 1, -1, 3, 1, 1, -1, -3, 3, -1, 1, 1,
+                 3, -1, 1, -1, 1, 1, -1, 3, 1, 1, -1, 1, 3, 3, 1, 5, 3, 3, 1,
+                 -1, 1, 1, -1, 3, 1, 1, -1, -7, -1, -1, 1, -3, -1, -1, 1, -1,
+                 1, 1, -1, 3, 1, 1, -1, -3, -1, 3, 1, 1, -1, 3, 1, -1, 1, 1,
+                 -1, 3, 1, 1, -1, -3, 3, -1, 1, 1, 3, -1, 1, -1, 1, 1, -1, 3,
+                 1, 1, -1, 1, 3, 3, 1, 5, 3, 3, 1, -1, 1, 1, -1, 3, 1, 1, -1]
+    cdef ndarray LUT = np.zeros(256, dtype=np.intc)
+    LUT[1::2] = arr
     return LUT
 cdef int[::1] LUT = fill_Euler_LUT()