A PAIR of caveman teeth pilfered from an exhibition on Neanderthal Man have been returned anonymously to their museum home in western Germany, it said today.

The Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann said its secretary found the milk tooth and adult molar, individually wrapped in handkerchiefs, in an unmarked brown envelope in the letterbox. "Still unsure whether they really were the stolen originals, or if someone was just having a joke, she alerted the museum directors," a spokeswoman said in a statement.

They confirmed they were the originals. "Jubilation broke out," the museum said.

The teeth, of great scientific worth but no value on the open market, were to go on public again display later today, this time linked to an alarm system.

The thefts were reported 10 days ago, puzzling staff who wondered why only two from a total of 32 bone and tooth fragments from the hominid, unearthed in 2000, were taken.

They said they believed the crime had been planned long in advance and the culprits had detailed information about the layout of the exhibition, as they were apparently able to unscrew the exhibit case without being spotted.

The museum is near the cave where the first remains of a Neanderthal were found nearly 150 years ago, in what was one of the most important discoveries on the origin of modern humans.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9229300%255E13762,00.html