Woolly mammoth bone found on south-west Scottish coastline

The woolly mammoth is an extinct species of mammoth that lived during the Ice Age. Of all the prehistoric animals the appearance and behaviour of this species are among the best studied. This is due to the discovery of frozen carcasses in Siberia and Alaska, as well as skeletons, teeth and stomach contents. There are also depictions of the woolly mammoth from life in prehistoric cave paintings. The woolly mammoth was well adapted to living in the cold environment experienced during the last ice age. It was covered in fur, with an outer covering of long guard hairs and a shorter undercoat.

Scotland was almost completely glaciated at the peak of the last Ice Age. However, there is evidence for the presence of Ice Age fauna around 30,000 years ago, including mammoths and woolly rhinos. Teeth and tusks of the animal have been found in Scotland, but now for the first time a woolly mammoth bone appears to have been found. It has been sent to National Museums of Scotland who have compared it with various bones that they have and have confirmed that it is almost certainly a mammoth bone. Further tests to carbon date the bone are now underway.  It will give an understanding what was living where and when in Scotland and so could be of great significance. The discovery of the bone was made on a beach near Stranraer (Scottish Gaelic: An t-Sròn Reamhar) by Nic Coombey, co-ordinator of the Solway Coastwise Project.  

The Solway Coastwise Project, which is run by Solway Firth Partnership, is a three year project. It officially starts on 1 August. Part of its aim is to encourage the discovery of traditional place-names, providing an insight into history and identity of the Dumfires and Galloway coastline. At the same time stimulate people to use, share and be inspired by this stretch of Scottish coastline.