Museum Whale Jawbone Rescued From Sea After Secret Dump

When marine biologist Bas van der Sanden pulled a massive whale jawbone from the Oosterschelde estuary in February 2025, he knew something didn't add up. The three-meter bone was suspiciously white and clean, nothing like bones that spend years underwater.

DNA testing revealed the bone came from an Omura's whale, a species that doesn't live in Dutch waters. Someone had already preserved and displayed this treasure, but how did it end up in the sea?

The mystery unraveled at a divers' convention where van der Sanden gave a lecture about his unusual find. A former worker from Amsterdam's Zoological Museum, which closed in 2011, reached out with an unexpected confession.

When the museum shuttered its doors, most collections went to Naturalis in Leiden. But some bones faced the scrapheap. This employee rescued them, including the massive jawbone that ended up stored behind his sofa.

Years later, a move to a smaller house created a problem. The bone was too big to keep, but without official paperwork, he couldn't donate it to another museum. He faced watching a rare specimen disappear into storage or worse.

The solution was unconventional but clever. He and another former museum worker drove the bone to the Oosterschelde and carefully placed it where someone would discover it. The plan meant the bone could be officially found, documented, and registered into the system properly.

Van der Sanden's discovery completed their mission perfectly. The bone now has legal status and a purpose in educational programs.

The Bright Side

This story highlights the lengths people will go to preserve natural history. Two former museum workers cared enough about a whale jawbone to orchestrate its rescue rather than let it vanish from public access.

Their creative thinking turned a bureaucratic dead end into a second chance. Sometimes the system needs a gentle nudge from people who understand what's worth saving.

Van der Sanden appreciated the humor in being part of their plan. "What they did is not illegal," he noted. "The museum world would probably give them a mild telling off, with a smile, of course."

The Omura's whale jawbone that once sat behind a sofa now serves students and researchers, exactly where it belongs.