Megafaunas from the ice age were recently unearthed in an excavation site located in the county of Devon. The remains are believed to be dating back 60,000 years ago and include giant creatures such as rhinos and mammoth.
Middle Devensian: Ice Age in Britain
PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: Visitors look around the Mammoth exhibit at The Box on September 22, 2020 in Plymouth, England. The Box Museum, a brand new multi-disciplinary arts and heritage space, will finally open on 29th September, four months later than planned due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Megafauna is considered the largest type of animal that roamed our planet. Most of these creatures include cousins of the modern-day elephants, but many megafaunas are associated with the giants that existed during the Late Pleistocene.
The remains were discovered right beneath the pre-construction project led by the Sherford New Town. The location is planned to be the largest community near Plymouth that will include over 5,000 homes.
Alongside the megafauna collection, animals identified from the Sherford Quarry included horses, hares, wolves, fox, hyena, and reindeer. The specimens from each animal date back to the pre-history of Britain known as Middle Devensian. At the time, the climate was colder than the present-day temperatures.
The Devon cave discoveries are expected to contribute more insights into Britain's biodiversity and ecosystem during the ice age. In addition, the herbivores may also provide additional data to the insufficient botanical record and find the unknown plant species that existed in the same period. The Sherford Consortium has protected the New Town excavation since 2015.
Historic England chief executive Duncan Wilson said in a DallyMail report that the discovery on the Devon cave was "exceptional," considering that large partial remains of numerous species were just lying underground thousands of years since the ice age in Britain.
Wilson explained that they were delighted to be part of preserving the historical pieces for generations to come. Each of the fragments in the Devon was carefully lifted from their original placement. Following the success of the dig, a team was assembled to analyze and work the conservation process of the remains.
Once the research is completed, the Devon collection will be transferred to Plymouth's The Box museum, located just a few kilometers away from the excavation site in Sherford.
ALSO READ: Prehistoric Fish Head Discovered with Hundreds of Smaller Fossils Inside
Megafaunas and Other Biodiversity During Ice Age
The Box CEO Victoria Pomery said that they have successfully preserved several collections similar to Devon's. Most of the creatures are also from the era and had been part of many paleontological and climate studies in the past. The most notable species among their collection are the cave lion and the woolly mammoth.
Pomery explained that examining the new batch of megafauna remains from Devon will serve as pieces to the larger prehistoric puzzle of Plymouth and its surrounding regions back when the ice age occurred.
The Sherford Consortium agreed that they will be part of the preservation efforts. The group warns that the underground portion of the site is highly dangerous and is not open for public access. Orion Heritage's lead and archaeology expert Rob Bourn said that the significant findings equate to a national significance and is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for each member of the team.
Further research is required to identify how the variety of megafaunas and animals squeezed themselves into the cave and if they coexisted at the same periods. Factors behind the displacement of the remains in and out of the cave will also be investigated.
RELATED ARTICLE: Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite Destroyed During Walkboard Replacement, Bureau Denies Damages Made by Backhoe
Check out more news and information on Paleontology in Science Times.
