Rare animal skeletons dating back to 1880 including a hippopotamus skull and a full dog skeleton have been stolen from the University of Sydney.
The skeletons were stolen from a museum at the university's Camperdown campus between Wednesday, November 7 and Thursday, November 8.
Also stolen was a hawksbill sea turtle skeleton with its shell, and the skeleton of a slow loris, a primate distantly related to a lemur.
The skeletons are original specimens that were collected by a natural history dealer and taxidermist from Prague and date back to 1880.
Three other skeletons were found outside the museum.
"They appear to have been left behind by the offenders after the break-in, along with other items that are being forensically examined by specialist police," Inner West Police Area Command's Acting Crime Manager Mark George said.
