Rare animal skeletons have been stolen from Sydney University

Rare animal skeletons dating back to 1880 including a hippopotamus skull and a full dog's frame have been stolen from the University of Sydney.

One of the rare items that was stolen from the University of Sydney. Source: NSW Police

A hippopotamus skull and a full dog's skeleton are among the rare animal bones dating back to 1880 stolen from the University of Sydney.

The mostly skeletons were stolen from the teaching collection of 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 collected by a natural history dealer and taxidermist from 19th century Prague.

The full dog skeleton was among the items stolen from the museum that was established at the campus in 1890. Source: NSW Police