Ice Age woolly mammoth and rhino remains found in Devon cave

An “exceptional” discovery of the remains of several huge extinct beasts has been described as a “brilliant insight” into life in Ice Age Britain thousands of years ago.

The finds at Sherford, a new town being built in Devon, include a woolly mammoth, rhino and wolf and are estimated to be from the last Ice Age, around 30,000-60,000 years ago in the Middle Devensian period.

They have been described as "rare and nationally significant" and have been painstakingly recovered by a specialist and highly skilled team from across the UK for analysis.

The detailed samples taken from the site have so far uncovered partial remains of a woolly mammoth, including a tusk, molar tooth and other bones and partial remains of a woolly rhinoceros, including an incomplete skull and lower jaw.

There is also a virtually complete wolf skeleton and partial remains of hyena, horse, reindeer, mountain hare and red fox.

Bones of various small mammals such as bats and shrews are also present and it is anticipated that further bones of small mammals will be identified during post-excavation laboratory analysis.

The ‘megafauna’ – large animals now extinct – are hoped to provide new insights into early Britain and enrich what is already known.

Understanding the range of mammals present, particularly herbivores and their food sources, also provides an insight into the plants that may have existed in the local environment, for which little evidence survives today.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: "This discovery is exceptional.

"To have found partial remains of such a range of species here in Devon gives us a brilliant insight into the animals which roamed around Ice Age Britain thousands of years ago, as well as a better understanding of the environment and climate at the time.

"We are delighted that this important part of our history will be preserved for future generations."

The town of Sherford is is a new 5,500-home community still under development on the edge of Plymouth, and is already home to over 1,500 people.

It was excavation during infrastructure work on site that led to the discovery of the remains.

The area where the remains were found will be preserved and no construction will take place on top of it.

Rob Bourn, managing director of Orion Heritage and lead archaeologist on the project for the Sherford Consortium, added: “This is a major discovery of national significance – a once in a lifetime experience for those involved.

"Construction happening at Sherford is the sole reason these findings have been discovered and it is remarkable that they have laid undisturbed until now.

"To find such an array of artefacts untouched for so long is a rare and special occurrence. Equally rare is the presence of complete or semi-complete individual animals.

"We look forward to reaching the stage where the discoveries can be shared and displayed, so that everyone can find out more about our distant past.”

Mr Bourn said working theories of how they ended up there included some of the creatures falling into a pit and unable to escape while carnivorous scavengers followed and met a similar fate – or the animals died elsewhere and the bones washed there over a period of time.

It is expected that the full archive of remains will return to Devon, into the care of The Box – a new museum in Plymouth.

Watch: Mammoth tusk holds clues to Ice Age extinctions