Second-hand shop receives fossil and donates it to our institute

The second-hand shop Kringwinkel Stroom recently received something unusual: a fossil. It turns out to be part of a mammoth pelvis. The non-profit organization is now donating the fossil to our collections.

The label attached to the specimen—the only information we have so far—reads “North Sea Netherlands” and “100,000 years old”. During the last Ice Age (116,000 to 12,000 years ago), large parts of what is now the North Sea were in fact dry land, forming a vast tundra landscape. Mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, and giant deer once roamed there.

We are grateful that Kringwinkel Stroom decided to donate the fossil to our collections. This way, the piece is preserved “for eternity” and remains available for scientific research. Interestingly, traces on the pelvis suggest that the animal may have been sick or injured.

Have you inherited a documented collection of fossils, vertebrates, insects, shells, rocks, or minerals? Think of us! The specimens may hold scientific value. Feel free to contact our curators.