West Runton Elephant

Cromer Museum Brief History Guide no: 17 £1.25p

Steppe Mammoth Mammuthus trogontherii By Nigel Larkin

The West Runton Freshwater Bed is the dark band at the bottom of the cliffs

2 twigs and small mammal Discovery bones, through medium sized The story begins on 13 Decem- deer, horse and rhino bones to ber 1990 when, following a the huge bones of elephants stormy night, local residents that roamed our country in Harold and Margaret Hems took herds back then. There have a walk on the beach. They been many species of elephant found a large bone partly ex- living in England over the last posed at the bottom of the few millions of years. The West cliffs, and contacted Norfolk Runton Elephant, living when Museums Service. It was identi- the Freshwater Bed was laid fied as a pelvic bone of a large down, was the Steppe Mam- elephant. Just over a year later moth Mammuthus trogontherii . after another storm, several more huge bones were uncov- This was the largest species of ered. This was obviously a find elephant that has ever lived, of major significance, and in and the largest animal ever to January 1992 the first explora- have lived on land except for tory excavation took place. the very biggest dinosaurs. Once the results of this had Standing four metres high at its been evaluated, a second ma- shoulder, it would have jor 3 month excavation fol- weighed about ten tons – twice lowed in 1995. the weight of any male African

elephant you would find today. Background It is the largest elephant skele- The “West Runton Freshwater ton ever found and is the oldest Bed” is a five-foot thick layer of elephant skeleton to have been organic-rich mud deposited by found in the UK (some individ- a medium sized river about six ual bones or teeth from else- hundred thousand (600,000) to where are older, but none make seven hundred thousand years even a partial skeleton). The ago, long before the last ice West Runton Elephant skeleton age. This deposit, just east of is also the best example of this West Runton on the North Nor- species ever to have been folk coast, is full of all sorts of found. Previously the best were fossils. These range from thou- two partial skeletons, one in sands of small snail shells, 3 Germany and the other in Rus- mains of other fossils in the de- sia, both only about 10-15% posit. Not only were all of the complete. The WRE skeleton is bones carefully drawn and plot- about 85% complete. ted on maps (using a laser- based theodolite) but special- Because the West Runton ists from all around the country Freshwater Bed is the “type and abroad came to collect pol- site” for the Cromerian Intergla- len, macroflora, microfauna cial it is the benchmark that all and sediments. They studied all other countries in Europe use aspects of the stratigraphy, when studying their own de- mineralogy and chemistry of posits of a similar age. That is the site. Ten tonnes of soil were why when the first bones of the carefully removed, a trowel-full elephant were discovered after at a time, to be sieved for the storms in the winters of 1990 tiny bones of frogs, newts, liz- and 1992, the Norfolk Muse- ards, snakes and small mam- ums and Archaeology Service mals and birds. applied for funding to excavate the site more fully to unearth On page eight you can find a the rest of what this very impor- list of all the animals that were tant find. It was clearly also a found. Many of them are now good chance to study other as- extinct - but some, like rhinos, pects of the site in more detail. hyaenas, wolves and bears, To find such a complete skele- sound exotic. Many people ask ton during the 1995 excava- “was the climate much warmer tion, so well preserved and with back then?” The answer is so many other bones, was a “no”, The climate was identical very welcome surprise. to what we have now. We know this from all the pollen studied Excavations and other clues such as the The remaining skeleton was presence of amphibians, snails excavated over a three-month and small mammals that can period by staff of the Norfolk only live within a narrow range Archaeological Unit, who paid of temperatures. The animals meticulous attention to every appear exotic to us now be- detail when recording the re- cause since the time of the 4 West Runton Elephant we have flexibility, but too young to be suffered the effects of several strengthened by the fossilisa- ice ages that have reduced spe- tion process. They are simply cies diversity, followed by a rise the brittle mineral matrix of in sea levels making Britain an bone, and surprisingly fragile. island and creating a barrier to Unfortunately, they are also animals that might have re- very big and heavy. Each femur colonised our land from is 1.5 metres long, and all the Europe. Then mankind arrived main limb bones are close in in Britain about 500,000 years size to those of large saurapod ago and hunted some species dinosaurs. Because of this fra- to extinction. gility and weight, the bones needed support when they It is rare for animals to be bur- were uncovered during the ex- ied in conditions that are just cavation. They were carefully right for fossilisation. The mil- wrapped in tissue paper and lions of fossils in museums all foil, before being encased in around the world are but a tiny plaster of Paris, and stiffened fraction of all the species that by large splints. On the last day have ever lived. Even when an of the dig the well-preserved animal is buried in the right skull and tusk were lifted out conditions it takes millions of from the bed by crane, in a spe- years for the material to truly cially made supporting cradle. fossilise – to “turn to stone”. A Then the hole was filled back buried bone can retain organic in. All the bones and the tusks material (like collagen, giving it were put on pallets and taken some strength and flexibility from the site by lorry to the con- and maybe some DNA!) for up servation laboratory at Gres- to forty thousand years. But the senhall, Norfolk. elephant remains are about 600,000 - 700,000 years old. Conservation Therefore the West Runton Ele- In the laboratory, the protective phant and all the other bones plaster jackets were carefully found with it are what we call removed, piece by piece. The “sub-fossil”. Old enough to sediment and soil was removed have lost their strength and with brushes, small dental 5 tools, pins, scalpels and fine and so heavy (most need two jets of high-pressure air con- people to move them) but also taining slightly abrasive pow- very weak (because they are der. All this work was done un- only sub-fossil bone) they der a microscope (even the big- could easily be damaged by gest bones) to ensure we would poor handling. To solve the not damage the surfaces of the problem permanent, rigid jack- bones. During the cleaning ets were made for them to lie process the fine details became in. A soft archival foam layer is clear - such as the tooth-marks placed closest to the bone, and droppings of the spotted with a rigid resin jacket sup- hyaenas that were scavenging porting it beneath. When a from the elephant carcass. We bone is to be moved, or turned kept a photographic record as over, another jacket is bolted to we worked and made copious the upper surface, the bone notes. We could soon tell how moved or turned, and the up- old the elephant was when it permost jacket taken off again. prematurely died, and, as the The heaviest bones are stored interesting pathology of the dis- on trolleys. eased and deformed right knee area slowly revealed itself, the Storage reason why became clear. All the bones are stored in a climate-controlled environ- Cataloguing ment. If the temperature or hu- After all the bones were midity levels varied greatly the cleaned, and repaired where specimens would react by ex- necessary, they were described panding and contracting and catalogued. Small bones slightly. If this occurred more were then stored in trays or than a few times the material boxes of archival quality (i.e. would begin to break down they will last for many decades, physically, and the elephant and do not contain harmful material would be irreversibly chemicals), in specially cut damaged. Had we been able to nests in archival foam. The lar- ger bones posed a problem. Being so big (up to 1.5m long) 6

years, it might be well fossilised and less vulnerable! But had we left it there at West Runton the sea would have destroyed it within just a decade.

7 leave the elephant in the had we left it there at West Run- ground for another fifty million ton the sea would have de- years, it might be well fossil- stroyed it within just a decade. ised and less vulnerable! But

(re-introduced by by (re-introduced

Still present in the U.K. the in Still present hedgehog mole common hare vole bank mouse wood weasel stoat polecat marten pine wildcat bat noctule shrew pygmy red deer roe deer horse man)

th (was (was

(became (became

extinct in the 12 the in extinct Extinct in the UK the in Extinct desman Russian macaque Barbary hamster Common vole Northern Wolf hyaena Spotted vole Common Wild boar until present to extinc- hunted 17 the in tion Beaver Century) Century)

Mi-

(vole), (vole), Pitymys ar- Pitymys (pine voles), (pine

(steppe- (giant beaver-like beaver-like (giant (extinct mole), (extinct Sorex runtonensis Sorex (extinct medium-sized medium-sized (extinct (water vole), vole), (water MammalsMammals foundfound inin thethe WestWest RuntonRunton ForestForest Bed Bed MammalsMammals foundfound inin thethe WestWest RuntonRunton ForestForest Bed Bed gregaloides and and Talpa minor Talpa Pliomys episcopalis Pliomys and and

hundsheimensis Stephanorhinus

(extinct rhinoceros) and various species species various and rhinoceros) (extinct small shrew, large shrew, water of: otter, elk, bison, mustelid, marten, horse, sabre- cat, jaguar-sized cat, small giant of species two and cat toothed deer. Extinct Worldwide Extinct trogontherii Mammuthus Elephant), West Runton the - mammoth savini Sorex cuvieri Trogontherium rodent), deningeri Ursus bear), momys savini momys (shrews), valoides 8 How old was the elephant Other flora and fauna found when he died? in the West Runton Forest Bed We know from the wear on his

teeth that he was “in his prime” Frogs, toads and other am- – in his forties, and would nor- phibians, grass snakes, fresh- mally have lived to his sixties. water snails, waterfowl, and various freshwater fish. A lot of Was it a mammoth or an ele- wood was found (mostly alder), phant? and also macroflora and pollen Technically he is a very early suggesting a climate very simi- mammoth, which is a type of lar to today. elephantid. It was the descen-

dants of this species that be- Frequently Asked Questions: came what we call the “woolly

mammoths” that lived in the How do we know it was a colder conditions of the ice “he”? ages and were a lot smaller. Because of the size and shape of the hip bones. Female ele- How did the West Runton Ele- phants have a different shaped phant get to England, did he pelvis for giving birth to young have to swim? elephants. No, Britain was attached to the

continent at that time. How tall was he?

About four metres high at the What animals hunted the ele- shoulder, much taller than phant? modern elephants. None, they are far too big to be

hunted - except by humans (but How much did he weigh? we have no evidence of hu- About ten tons, twice the mans from the Freshwater Bed). weight of a male African elephant. What other animals were

around at the time? How old are the fossils? Spotted hyaenas, giant beaver, About 600,000 – 700,000 extinct big cats, extinct species years old. of rhino, extinct giant deer and

9 and other deer. What can we see on display?

There is currently a small exhi- Why don’t we have elephants bition on the elephant project in England now? at Cromer Museum, and the Because of a combination of lower jaw of the elephant is on things: Successive ice ages display at the Castle Museum, stressed our native animals to Norwich. There is an informal such an extent that many be- display of text and pictures at came extinct naturally. But the Beach Café at West Runton hunting by early humans may itself. There will be a major, also account for their demise. permanent, exhibition of the After the last ice age sea levels West Runton Elephant remains rose, creating the North Sea and local geology in general in which then prevented land ani- one of the Norfolk Museums in mals from re-colonising Britain. the future, but it is still a few

years away. What did he eat?

Grass, herbaceous shrubs and Suggestions for Further Read- other vegetation in an open for- ing: est and grassland environment.

‘TheThe West Runton ElephantElephant’, Back then was it colder or Norfolk Museums Service warmer than today? poster , 1993. We know from the small mam-

mals and the pollen from the ‘TheThe West Runton Elephant plants that at the time the West Discovery and ExcavationExcavation’, Runton Elephant lived the cli- Norfolk Museums Service mate was exactly the same as booklet , 1997. today. Although the list of animals living with the elephant (The two items above and are sounds exotic, this is because available from all the Norfolk we have lost these species due Museum shops) to hunting and the effects of the relatively recent ice ages, not because the climate was any different back then. 10 ‘The West Runton Elephant’, Acknowledgements Ashwin T and Stuart A J, Sep- tember 1996, Current Archae- The West Runton Elephant ology 149, 164-168. Excavation and Conservation Projects were financed mostly ‘PleistocenePleistocene Environments in by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the British IslesIsles’, Jones R L and Norfolk Museums and Archae- Keen D H, 1993, Chapman and ology Service, the MGC PRISM Hall. Fund, and Anglian Water.

‘MammothsMammothsMammoths’, Lister A M and Bahn P, 1995, MacMillan. On sale in the Museum shop ‘PleistocenePleistocene Vertebrates in are: the British IslesIsles’, Stuart A J, 1982, Longman. The West Runton Elephant Dis- covery and Excavation booklet ‘Life in the Ice Age’Age’, Stuart A J, £4.50 1988, Shire Publications. The West Runton Elephant ‘TheThe Ice Age in East AngliaAnglia’, poster £2.00 Stuart A J, 1989, NMAS informa- tion sheet. The West Runton Elephant postcard 35p ‘OnOn the Track of Ice Age Mam- malsmals’, Sutcliffe A J, 1986, Brit- ish Museum (Natural History).

11 Cromer Museum Brief History Guides

1 Discover the Lost Hotels of Cromer 2 Cromer at War 3 Beachcombing 4 A Brief History of Cromer 5 Up the Park 6 Lost Cromer ( under revision) 7 Lord Cromer 8 The Tragic Empress (Elizabeth of Austria) 9 Hotel de Paris 10 Railways of Cromer 11 Cromer Pier 12 Amber 13 Ganseys 14 Oh The Mud! 15 Locker- Lampson (Einstein’s protector) 16 A Brief History of the Poppyland Legend 17 The West Runton Elephant 18 Cromer Crabs

Cromer Museum, East Cottages, Tucker Street, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9HB Tel : 01263 513543