Catalogue of the remains of Pinnipedia (Mammalia) in the collection of the Institute of Taxonomic Zoology (Zoological Museum Amsterdam)

As is usual in university museums, the Zoological Museum of the University of Amsterdam (now Institute of Taxonomic Zoology) had in its collection some representative material of Pinnipedia. Some mounted specimens, some mounted skeletons, a few skulls (mainly from animals, which died in the Amsterdam Zoological Garden “Natura Artis Magistra”, commonly named Artis) and a few flat skins. A growing interest in marine mammals in general, the enthousiastic collecting activity of the late Mr Erik Flipse (a biology student, who sadly was killed at a hold-up in Afghanistan in 1979) and the seal research programme of the Research Institute for Nature Management headed by Dr J.L. van Haaften in the early years of the last decade, enlarged the collection considerably. Mr Flipse, an excellent photographer, was much interested in seals and the biology of seals and he made several trips on board of Norwegian sealing vessels and thanks to the kind cooperation of the captains and the crews, he could gather a large number of skulls of animals killed for their skins. The skulls were sent deepfrozen to Amsterdam where they were cleaned and prepared by the late Mr G. Verlaan and Mr P. Borgman. A number of these skulls were later exchanged against skulls of other seal species.