By Tim Binnall
Construction of a new town in England hit something of a snag when developers discovered the ancient remains of several creatures from the Ice Age, including a woolly mammoth, inside of a cave. According to a press release, the remarkable find was made during the building of a development known as Sherford in the county of Devon. As workers were excavating a sizeable cavern, they were surprised to stumble upon an array of peculiar bones and enlisted archaeologists to examine the odd objects. To their amazement, they determined that the construction project had unearthed the remains of several creatures that once roamed the region thousands of years ago.
Included in the veritable menagerie of ancient remains were the tusk and tooth of a woolly mammoth, the skull of a woolly rhino, a nearly intact wolf skeleton, and "partial remains of hyena, horse, reindeer, mountain hare and red fox." Based on the analysis of archaeologists, the 'megafauna' are believed to have resided in the area approximately 30,000 to 60,000 years ago. In announcing the discovery, the company behind the construction project indicated that they relied on a team of renowned experts to conduct "a detailed scientific sampling exercise to obtain as much information about the findings as possible" and that the remains were carefully extracted from the ground where they were found.
The lead archeologist working on the project marveled that the bevy of ancient bones constituted "a major discovery of national significance" and "a once in a lifetime experience for those involved." Those sentiments were shared by the Chief Executive of Historic England, who described the development as "exceptional" and one which will provide "brilliant insight into the animals which roamed around Ice Age Britain thousands of years ago." How, exactly, all of the animals wound up in the same cave is something of a mystery, although scientists theorize that some unlucky creatures fell into and got stuck in the cavern, while "carnivorous scavengers followed and met a similar fate."
A newly opened museum in the nearby city of Plymouth is set to receive the recently excavated Ice Age animal remains for future showcase and the company behind the building project says that the cave itself "will be conserved and no construction will take place on top of it." Meanwhile, a conservationist in the area expressed hope that the discovery could just be the proverbial tip of the iceberg when it comes to remarkable finds waiting to be uncovered in the process of building the new town. "Let's keep pushing so that we can continue the scientific research," Tara Beacroft suggested to the BBC, "and just explore this incredible historical time capsule."