West Runton elephant
Encyclopedia
The West Runton Elephant is a fossilized skeleton of a steppe mammoth
(Mammuthus trogontherii) found in the cliffs of West Runton
in the county of Norfolk
, England
in 1990. The find is the largest nearly complete elephant skeleton
known, and is the oldest found in the United Kingdom
.
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After a very storm
y night on the December 13, 1990, local residents Harold and Margaret Hems were walking along West Runton
beach. They found that a large bone had been partially exposed at the base of the cliff
s by the actions of the previous night’s storm. The couple contacted the Norfolk Museums Service, who soon identified the object as a pelvic bone of a large steppe mammoth
. After another storm just over a year later, a local fossil
hunter, Rob Sinclair, discovered more huge bones and it soon became obvious that the site was of major importance. In January 1992 the Norfolk Archaeological Unit undertook an exploratory excavation at the site. As a result of this a second major three-month excavation followed in 1995.
and from Anglian Water
was gained for the project by the Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service. The meticulous excavations lasted over a period of three months. The Unit recorded every detail of the remains of the animals and other fossils in the deposit. A laser
theodolite
was used to produce maps, made by carefully drawing and plotting the position of the bones and other finds. Specialists from around the world were called in to collect and study all the pollen
, macroflora, microfauna and sediments found at the site. The stratigraphy
, mineralogy
and chemistry
of the site was also studied and recorded. During the excavations almost ten tonnes of soil were delicately removed a trowel
-full at a time, to be sieved for the tiny bones of frogs, newts, lizards, snakes and small mammals and birds.
and Russia
, both of which were only about 10 to 15% complete. The West Runton specimen is 85% complete. From these remains it has been deduced that the West Runton Elephant stood some 4 metres (13.1 ft) at the shoulder
and would have weighed in at 10 tonnes (11 ST). This is twice the weight of the modern African elephant Loxodonta africana. The elephant was male.
From the study of the pollen and the discovery of other amphibians, snails and small mammals from the site, it was discovered that the landscape consisted of bodies of slow moving fresh water near to the sea, with a good amount of vegetation and moist woodland present. The climate was classically Pleistocene
, almost identical to the climate today.
All the bones of the West Runton Elephant were carefully wrapped in tissue paper
and foil
before being encased in plaster of Paris
and supported by large splints
to protect them. A special cradle was constructed to support the well-preserved skull
and huge tusks. The skull and tusk were lifted out from the bed by crane on the last day of the dig before the hole was filled back in. All the bones and the tusks were put on pallets and taken from the site by lorry
to the conservation laboratory at Gressenhall
.
At Gressenhall, all the carefully prepared protective paper, foil and plaster was removed from the bones. The concreted soil
and sediment
was removed with brushes, small dental tools, pins, scalpels and fine jets of high-pressure air containing slightly abrasive powder. All this work was done under a microscope
, even on the biggest of the bones, to ensure that no damage was done to the surfaces of the bones. During this process it was discovered that the carcass
of the elephant had been scavenged by spotted hyenas
(shown by the teeth marks found on the bones) and also hyena droppings
were identified. Some interesting pathology
revealed that the elephant had a disease
d and deformed
right knee, which was likely to be the cause of this relatively young animal’s demise.
After the cleaning and repairing process was completed, the material was catalogged. All the smaller bones were then carefully placed in specially cut nests in archival foam
and then placed in special archive
trays or boxes designed to last for many decades. For the larger bones, permanent rigid jackets were created for them to lie in and within these jackets a soft archival foam layer was formed closest to the bone, with a rigid resin jacket supporting it from beneath. The heaviest of the bones are stored on their own trolleys for ease of movement. All the bones are stored in an environmentally controlled special building containing heaters and dehumidifiers to keep the environment at the right temperature and humidity
.
and at the Cromer Museum
.
Steppe mammoth
The steppe mammoth, Mammuthus armeniacus, is an extinct species of Elephantidae, that ranged over most of northern Eurasia during the Middle Pleistocene, 600,000-370,000 years ago....
(Mammuthus trogontherii) found in the cliffs of West Runton
West Runton
West Runton is a village in North Norfolk, England, approximately ¼ of a mile from the North Sea coast.-Overview:West Runton and East Runton together form the parish of Runton. The village straddles the A149 North Norfolk coast road and is 2½ miles west of Cromer and 1½ miles east of Sheringham...
in the county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1990. The find is the largest nearly complete elephant skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
known, and is the oldest found in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The unearthing
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
y night on the December 13, 1990, local residents Harold and Margaret Hems were walking along West Runton
West Runton
West Runton is a village in North Norfolk, England, approximately ¼ of a mile from the North Sea coast.-Overview:West Runton and East Runton together form the parish of Runton. The village straddles the A149 North Norfolk coast road and is 2½ miles west of Cromer and 1½ miles east of Sheringham...
beach. They found that a large bone had been partially exposed at the base of the cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
s by the actions of the previous night’s storm. The couple contacted the Norfolk Museums Service, who soon identified the object as a pelvic bone of a large steppe mammoth
Steppe mammoth
The steppe mammoth, Mammuthus armeniacus, is an extinct species of Elephantidae, that ranged over most of northern Eurasia during the Middle Pleistocene, 600,000-370,000 years ago....
. After another storm just over a year later, a local fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
hunter, Rob Sinclair, discovered more huge bones and it soon became obvious that the site was of major importance. In January 1992 the Norfolk Archaeological Unit undertook an exploratory excavation at the site. As a result of this a second major three-month excavation followed in 1995.
The excavation
The 1995 excavation of the site was carried out by the Norfolk Archaeological Unit and funding from the Heritage lottery FundNational Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
and from Anglian Water
Anglian Water
Anglian Water is a privatised water company that operates in the East of England. Named for East Anglia, apart from Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire it also covers Lincolnshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, a small part of north Nottinghamshire and Greater London...
was gained for the project by the Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service. The meticulous excavations lasted over a period of three months. The Unit recorded every detail of the remains of the animals and other fossils in the deposit. A laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
theodolite
Theodolite
A theodolite is a precision instrument for measuring angles in the horizontal and vertical planes. Theodolites are mainly used for surveying applications, and have been adapted for specialized purposes in fields like metrology and rocket launch technology...
was used to produce maps, made by carefully drawing and plotting the position of the bones and other finds. Specialists from around the world were called in to collect and study all the pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
, macroflora, microfauna and sediments found at the site. The stratigraphy
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
, mineralogy
Mineralogy
Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...
and chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
of the site was also studied and recorded. During the excavations almost ten tonnes of soil were delicately removed a trowel
Trowel
A trowel is one of several similar hand tools used for digging, smoothing, or otherwise moving around small amounts of viscous or particulate material.-Hand tools:...
-full at a time, to be sieved for the tiny bones of frogs, newts, lizards, snakes and small mammals and birds.
Conclusions
The elephant skeleton found at West Runton is the best example of the species Mammuthus trogontherii to be unearthed so far. Previous finds include two partial skeletons found in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, both of which were only about 10 to 15% complete. The West Runton specimen is 85% complete. From these remains it has been deduced that the West Runton Elephant stood some 4 metres (13.1 ft) at the shoulder
Shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...
and would have weighed in at 10 tonnes (11 ST). This is twice the weight of the modern African elephant Loxodonta africana. The elephant was male.
From the study of the pollen and the discovery of other amphibians, snails and small mammals from the site, it was discovered that the landscape consisted of bodies of slow moving fresh water near to the sea, with a good amount of vegetation and moist woodland present. The climate was classically Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
, almost identical to the climate today.
Preservation
Tissue paper
Tissue paper is a lightweight paper or, light crêpe paper. Tissue can be made both from virgin and recycled paper pulp.-Properties:Key properties are: strength, absorbency, basis weight, thickness , brightness, stretch, appearance and comfort....
and foil
Aluminium foil
Aluminium foil is aluminium prepared in thin metal leaves, with a thickness less than , thinner gauges down to are also commonly used. In the USA, foils are commonly gauged in mils. Standard household foil is typically thick and heavy duty household foil is typically .The foil is pliable, and...
before being encased in plaster of Paris
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
and supported by large splints
Splints
Splints is an ailment of the horse or pony, characterized by a hard, bony swelling, usually on the inside of a front leg, lying between the splint and cannon bone or on the splint bone itself. It may be "hot," meaning that it occurred recently and is still painful; or "cold," meaning that the...
to protect them. A special cradle was constructed to support the well-preserved skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
and huge tusks. The skull and tusk were lifted out from the bed by crane on the last day of the dig before the hole was filled back in. All the bones and the tusks were put on pallets and taken from the site by lorry
Lorry
-Transport:* Lorry or truck, a large motor vehicle* Lorry, or a Mine car in USA: an open gondola with a tipping trough* Lorry , a horse-drawn low-loading trolley-In fiction:...
to the conservation laboratory at Gressenhall
Gressenhall
Gressenhall is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1008 in 443 households as of the 2001 census...
.
At Gressenhall, all the carefully prepared protective paper, foil and plaster was removed from the bones. The concreted soil
Concretion
A concretion is a volume of sedimentary rock in which a mineral cement fills the porosity . Concretions are often ovoid or spherical in shape, although irregular shapes also occur. The word 'concretion' is derived from the Latin con meaning 'together' and crescere meaning 'to grow'...
and sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
was removed with brushes, small dental tools, pins, scalpels and fine jets of high-pressure air containing slightly abrasive powder. All this work was done under a microscope
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
, even on the biggest of the bones, to ensure that no damage was done to the surfaces of the bones. During this process it was discovered that the carcass
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
of the elephant had been scavenged by spotted hyenas
Spotted Hyena
The spotted hyena also known as laughing hyena, is a carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae, of which it is the largest extant member. Though the species' prehistoric range included Eurasia extending from Atlantic Europe to China, it now only occurs in all of Africa south of the Sahara save...
(shown by the teeth marks found on the bones) and also hyena droppings
Excretion
Excretion is the process by which waste products of metabolism and other non-useful materials are eliminated from an organism. This is primarily carried out by the lungs, kidneys and skin. This is in contrast with secretion, where the substance may have specific tasks after leaving the cell...
were identified. Some interesting pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
revealed that the elephant had a disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
d and deformed
Deformity
A deformity, dysmorphism, or dysmorphic feature is a major difference in the shape of body part or organ compared to the average shape of that part.Deformity may arise from numerous causes:*A Genetic mutation*Damage to the fetus or uterus...
right knee, which was likely to be the cause of this relatively young animal’s demise.
After the cleaning and repairing process was completed, the material was catalogged. All the smaller bones were then carefully placed in specially cut nests in archival foam
Foamcore
Foam core or Foam board is a very strong, lightweight and easily cut material used for the mounting of photographic prints, as backing in picture framing, in 3D design, and in painting. It is also in a material category referred to as "Paper-faced Foam Board"...
and then placed in special archive
Archival science
Archival science is the theory and study of storing, cataloguing, and retrieving documents and items. Archival science evolved from mankind's need to classify the world around them...
trays or boxes designed to last for many decades. For the larger bones, permanent rigid jackets were created for them to lie in and within these jackets a soft archival foam layer was formed closest to the bone, with a rigid resin jacket supporting it from beneath. The heaviest of the bones are stored on their own trolleys for ease of movement. All the bones are stored in an environmentally controlled special building containing heaters and dehumidifiers to keep the environment at the right temperature and humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
.
Exhibits
Due to the weight and size of the remains of the West Runton Elephant, only a few selected bones are on display in the Castle Museum at NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
and at the Cromer Museum
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
.