Ice age mammoth, woolly rhino and hyena bones uncovered in English town

[Judi Lynn]

By Nicoletta Lanese published about 11 hours ago

The bones were found during a construction project.

The bones of a woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, hyena and wolf recently discovered in an English town are thought to date to the last Ice Age.

The animal remains turned up during the construction of a new town called Sherford, which is located in Devon county, near Plymouth, BBC News reported. Construction on the 5,500-home town began in 2015, and the developers called in archaeologists to help with the project from the outset.

While excavating a cave in the area, the team discovered the tusk, molar tooth and other bones of a woolly mammoth, as well as the incomplete skull and lower jaw of a woolly rhinoceros, according to a statement from the town's developers, the Sherford Consortium. They also found a near-complete wolf skeleton; the partial remains of a hyena, horse, reindeer, mountain hare and red fox; and the bones of various small mammals, including bats and shrews.

An examination of the remains suggests they date to the Middle Devensian period, which took place about 60,000 to 30,000 years ago. It's still unclear whether all the animals found in the cave lived during the exact same time frame or accumulated in the cave over a more extended period of time, according to the statement.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/ice-age-animal-remains-found-in-devon-england