There are two jaw specimens, NHG22701 and NHG22703, of rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis) in the depot of the Zeeuws Museum (collection Koninklijk Zeeuws Genootschap der Wetenschappen). This paper describes and depicts them both. We also trace how they came to be in the collection. Specimen NHG22701, a complete skull and mandible with complete dentition of a rough-toothed dolphin, originated from the zoological collection of H. Goemans, a medical doctor in Zierikzee, the Netherlands, in the 19th century. This skull remained unnoticed in the depot of the Zeeuws Museum and it took some time to discover its identity, however its origin is still an enigma. Specimen NHG22703, a damaged mandible, was found in 1877 in a ditch near the village of Bruinisse, the Netherlands. Rutten (1909) mentioned this specimen for the first time, but described it as Delphinus sp. Van Deinse (1946) corrected the determination, but his explanation of its origin is not convincing. De Smet’s claim (1974) that the item might be the one mentioned by Cuvier (1825) and first described by van Breda (1829) also is not correct. In addition, neither specimen matches van Breda’s drawing and description. We think that there is a much simpler explanation: that the jaw was from a locally caught or collected individual - and construct what we believe is a plausible explanation for it being found in a ditch.

rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis, Koninklijk Zeeuwsch Genootschap der Wetenschappen,, zoological collection.