New town construction near Plymouth unearths ice age mammals
Image credit: - from Caitlin Sedwick (1 April 2008). "What Killed the Woolly Mammoth?". PLoS Biology 6 (4): e99. DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060099.
Construction work on the Sherwood New Town near Plymouth in Devon has unearthed a rare collection of Ice Age fossils.
The fossil remains of woolly mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer, horses and an almost complete wolf provide a rare glimpse of wildlife in the West Country during the last Ice Age. The fossils were found when a previously unknown limestone cave was exposed during infrastructure work. They date from the Devensian period around 30,000 and 60,000 years ago when climate conditions were colder than today. Experts believe the animals do not all date from exactly the same time. Some may have died after accidentally falling into the cave or may entered the cave to eat trapped animals and found themselves unable to escape. Other fossil bones may have been washed into the cave system by rivers.
The fossil finds provide a rare view of the climate and associated ecosystems when the Pleistocene megafauna roamed the cool, open grasslands of western Europe. The huge herds of grazing animals provided food for Neanderthals and later modern humans who hunted in them.
A team of archaeologists, geologists and cave experts from Winchester University, the University of Manchester, the Centre for Quaternary Research at Royal Holloway University, London, Orion Heritage and Exeter-based AC Archaeology have been studying the fossils for several months, supported by Devon County Council and the South West Science Advisor from Historic England. However, the finds were only announced to the general public in February 2022. The cave itself is not safe and cannot be visited. The collection of the fossils will be exhibited in the new Box Museum in Plymouth once scientific studies are complete.
Sherford New Town is on the eastern outskirts of Plymouth. It will provide 5500 new homes, and associated services. The Sherford Consortium, a partnership of Taylor Wimpey and Vistry Partnerships, began archaeological work at the start of construction in 2015. They have funded the on-going programme of archaeological investigation.
Further details of the finds can be found in this report by Royal Holloway University, London.
New discovery of Ice Age fossils in Devon (royalholloway.ac.uk)
Details of the Box Museum in Plymouth can be found at Welcome to The Box | The Box Plymouth