West Runton Elephant

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West Runton Elephant

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Introduction

The story begins on 13 December 1990 when, following a stormy night, local residents Harold and Margaret Hems took a walk on the beach. They found a large bone partly exposed at the bottom of the cliffs, and contacted Norfolk Museums Service. It was identified as a pelvic bone of a large elephant. Just over a year later after another storm, several more huge bones were uncovered. This was obviously a find of major significance, and in January 1992 the first exploratory excavation took place. Once the results of this had been evaluated, a second major 3 month excavation followed in 1995.

What had been uncovered was an example of the largest species of elephant that has ever lived, and the largest animal ever to have lived on land except for the very biggest dinosaurs. Standing four metres high at its shoulder, it would have weighed about ten tons – twice the weight of any male African elephant you would find today. It is the largest elephant skeleton ever found and is the oldest elephant skeleton to have been found in the UK (some individual bones or teeth from elsewhere are older, but none make even a partial skeleton). The West Runton Elephant skeleton is also the best example of this species ever to have been found. Previously the best were two partial skeletons, one in Germany and the other in Russia, both only about 10-15% complete. The WRE skeleton is about 85% complete.

Comments

Posted:Jun 9, 2009 11:49:46 AM GMT

that is cool

me b

Posted:Mar 26, 2010 5:05:43 PM GMT

that is sooooooooooooo amazing

Millie Collier Oundle

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Cromer Museum

Henry Blogg

black and white photograph of Cromer coxswain Henry Blogg with the Prince of Wales at a presentation ceremony in the Central Hall, Westminster, London

Gansey Doube-pointed Steel Knitting Needles

Six steel double-pointed needles, of size 16 and 17 gauge, the type used for knitting ganseys.

colour slide

West Runton Elephant. A reconstruction drawing by Sam Brown of the likely appearance of the West Runton elephant.

Knitting Stick

Gansey knitting stick or shield

Propagansey, Cromer Museum 2pm Sat May 18th

Cromer Museum have kindly invited me to come & do my Propagansey talk & display this Satu…

photograph, colour slide, photographer Dr A.J. Stuart, 1990. Harold Hems measuring the pelvis of a large bull elephant in situ in the West Runton Freshwater Bed. 1990

In March 1915 Rev Hamilton wrote in the Cromer Parish Magazine that he had been talking to Tom Ba…

West Runton Elephant

photograph, colour slide, photographer Dr A.J. Stuart, 1992. Artist Sam Brown worked with Tony Stuart to envisage what the West Runton elephant looked like - this is one of his sketches. 1992