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FOSSILS - NORFOLK

This page shows some of our fossil finds from Norfolk, UK.  We are lucky to have, nearby on the Norfolk coast, several sites that are well known for their Cretaceous (Chalk) and/or Pleistocene fossils.  At some of these sites there are also fossils from the Jurassic or earlier occurring as ice-transported erratics eroded out of the glacial cliff sediments.

We sometimes go further afield in pursuit of fossils of different organisms or periods.  These specimens from elsewhere in the UK have their own page here.

All images are © Andrew Bourke. If you would like to use one, please contact me (see e-mail address on Contact page). If you think I've made a mistake in any of the identifications, or can supply any missing information, please also let me know.

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Coral (compound), unidentified sp. (glacial sediments [derived]), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk

The specimen occupies one end of a nodule found by Tracey Chapman.  It was not in chalk but in an eroded nodule of what appears to be a pale grey shelly (bioclastic) limestone. Nodules of this rock occur quite commonly at the site and, as they are not from the Chalk, we conclude they are erratics eroded out of the glacial cliff sediments.  This is consistent with such sediments at the site being known to contain (as erratics) material pre-dating the Chalk, i.e. from earlier in the Cretaceous, from the Jurassic or from even earlier (Hamblin et al. 2005: 79-80).  However, we don't know the period of specimens like this one, and have found no printed or online source specifically identifying its rock type. [F_450]

Hamblin RJO, Moorlock BSP, Rose J, Lee JR, Riding JB, Booth SJ, Pawley SM (2005) Revised Pre-Devensian glacial stratigraphy in Norfolk, England, based on mapping and till provenance. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 84: 77-85.

 

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Coral (solitary), unidentified sp. (glacial sediments [derived]), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk

The specimen is embedded in a nodule that was found by Tracey Chapman.  The nodule is again composed of a pale grey shelly limestone-type rock, and so we assume it is an erratic like the previous example. The specimen itself forms an approximately oval shape c. 5.2. long x 3.0 cm wide. It resembles a large solitary coral like, for example, the Lower Carboniferous Palaeosmilia (Kirkaldy 1972: Plate 32). [F_485]

 

Kirkaldy JF (1972) Fossils in Colour. 3rd edn, Blandford Press, London.

 

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Belemnite and bivalve mollusc, unidentified spp. (glacial sediments [derived]), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk

This intriguing specimen is a multi-block containing remains of both belemnites and bivalves, and resembles a piece of fossilised sea-bed formed by shelly debris accumulating and then becoming compacted and cemented over time.  It is not in chalk, so we again assume it is an erratic eroded out of the glacial cliff sediments. [F_431]

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Bivalve, Gryphaea sp. (glacial sediments [derived], Jurassic), Overstand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk

This is the familiar 'Devil's Toe-nail'. The taxon was Jurassic (Natural History Museum 1983: Plate 11), so this specimen, which was found by one of my sons, must be another erratic, eroded out of the glacial cliff sediments. 
This conclusion is supported by Lee et al. (2004: 33), who state that Gryphaea occurs as an erratic from the Lower Lias of the Jurassic in one of the glacial beds exposed in the cliffs of the site.  The common, thick-shelled oyster-like bivalve from the Chalk at the site is the typically much larger (and differently-shaped) Pycnodonte vesiculare (see specimen below).
 
Natural History Museum (1983) British Mesozoic Fossils, 6th edn, Natural History Museum, London, 2004 Intercept Ltd reprint.

Lee JR, Booth SJ, Hamblin RJO, Jarrow AM, Kessler H, Moorlock BSP, Morigi AN, Palmer A, Pawley SJ, Riding JB, Rose J (2004) A new stratigraphy for the glacial deposits around Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth, North Walsham and Cromer, East Anglia, UK. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Norfolk 53: 3-60.

 

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Sponge (partial), unidentified sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Overstand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk

Fragments of sponge in chalk or flint are very common fossils on the Norfolk coast, and take many forms. This specimen shows part of a sponge wall embedded in a block of chalk. From the specimen's size, the intact organism must have been large. The identification comes from the pleated structure, which was typical of sponge wall (e.g. Moore et al. 1952: Figures 3-2.2, 3-2.3). [F_279]

 

Moore RC, Lalicker CG, Fischer AG (1952) Invertebrate Fossils. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York.

 

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Sponge (partial), Rhizopoterion or Ventriculites sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk
 

This specimen in chalk, found by Tracey Chapman, shows the external surface of the wall of one of these two common and similar-looking sponges (e.g. Smith and Batten 2002: Plates 1, 2). [F_101]
 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.
 

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Sponge, Porosphaera globularis (Chalk, Cretaceous), West Runton-Sheringham beach, Norfolk
 

Though sponges are common fossils on the Norfolk coast, examples to which we can assign a specific name are much scarcer.  The small spheres of this common sponge, typically (as in this example in chalk) with craters at the 'poles', are distinctive and so represent an exception (Smith and Batten 2002: Plate 4). [F_14]

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.
 

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Sponge, possibly Troegerella sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk
 

This attractive specimen looks like a flower outlined on the chalk.  It is (I think) what the original organism would look like in transverse section.  If so, the match to the shape of the named genus is what provides the possible identification (Reid 2004: Fig. 346). [F_498]

 

Reid REH (2004) Mesozoic and Cenozoic hexactinellid sponges: Lychniscosa and order uncertain. In: Kaesler RL (ed.) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Part E. Porifera, Revised. Volume 3: Porifera (Demospongea, Hexactinellida, Heteractinida, Calcarea). The Geological Society of America and The University of Kansas, Boulder, Colorado and Lawrence, Kansas. pp. 513-556.
 

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Coral (solitary), Trochosmilia sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk
 

This specimen, found by one of my sons, consists of a coral embedded in a flint nodule (upper image).  The coral is showing its upper face only, the horn-like body being hidden deeper in the nodule.  The coral's radially-arranged septa can be seen well in the close-up (lower image).  Identified by the match in appearance and age to this taxon (e.g. Smith and Batten 2002: e.g. Plate 5). [F_438]

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Bryozoa, unidentified sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Caistor St Edmund Chalk Quarry (Needham Chalks Ltd), Norfolk
 

This specimen consists of a patch of bryozoa encrusting a fragment of the shell of an inoceramid bivalve mollusc.  The patch of bryozoa is next to the lower margin of the shell fragment (upper image) and is made up of a grid of individual zooids, as seen in close-up (lower image).  The specimen was collected on an excellent group visit to this quarry site organised by the UKAFH (UK Association of Fossil Hunters).  Similar bryozoa exist to this day, but, as the quarry's exposed Chalk layers have not experienced a marine environment since they were formed, this patch must be contemporary with the shell, i.e. also of Cretaceous age.  The identification as bryozoa is from the match in appearance and age to this taxon in Smith and Batten (2002: e.g. Plate 7). [F_190, F_191]
 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Brachiopod, Moutonithyris sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Hunstanton beach, Norfolk
 

The Red Chalk from Hunstanton's famous cliffs is older than the White Chalk found further east in Norfolk.  This brachiopod was found in a fragment of Red Chalk lying on the beach.  The taxon seems to have been a common fossil of this rock, and is identified by its match in appearance and age to specimens in, for example, Smith and Batten (2002: Plate 14) and Lee et al. (2015: Plate 2). [F_93]
 

Lee JR, Woods MA, Moorlock BSP, eds (2015) British Regional Geology: East Anglia, 5th edn. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham.
 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Brachiopod, possibly Carneithyris sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Caistor St Edmund Chalk Quarry (Needham Chalks Ltd), Norfolk
 

Two specimens collected on a group visit to this quarry site organised by the UKAFH (UK Association of Fossil Hunters).  The possible identification is from the match in appearance and age to this taxon in Smith and Batten (2002: Plate 13). [F_200]
 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Bivalve mollusc, Pycnodonte vesiculare (Chalk, Cretaceous), Trimingham-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk
 

These large extinct oysters are fairly common fossils on the Norfolk coast.  They would have been an impressive sight living en masse on the bed of the Chalk sea.  A flatter, lid-like upper valve rested on a bowl-like lower valve, as seen in both side view (upper image) and top view (lower left image).  The key identifying feature is that the fine-scale internal structure of the valves involved thin layers of solid shell alternating with thicker layers made of tiny bubble-like vesicles (Lehmann 2020), looking like solidified foam or the inside of a bar of 'Aero' chocolate.  These vesicular layers are best found by viewing with a lens; some can be seen in the close-up of a small area of the upper valve (lower right image, e.g. patch at centre right). [F_274]
 

Lehmann J (2020) The “thick-shelled mussel” Pycnodonte (Phygraea) vesiculare: Germany’s “Fossil of the Year” 2017. Deposits 13 October 2020; available here
 

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Bivalve mollusc (inoceramid),  unidentified sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Happisburgh-Cart Gap beach, Norfolk
 

The inoceramids were characteristic bivalves of the Chalk sea (e.g. Smith and Batten 2002: 105).  While fossil guides typically (and understandably) illustrate the best examples of a given fossil, in the field complete specimens are rare, and especially on beaches one often encounters fragmentary remains that are puzzling to the non-specialist.  We were for a while stumped by what looked like artificially straight-sided white bars embedded in the flint cobbles commonly found on Norfolk beaches, as in this specimen.  They turned out to be fragments of the valves of inoceramid molluscs preserved in cross-section.  The clue to their identity is that, with a lens, one can observe uneroded examples to be marked with fine parallel striations perpendicular to the sides.  This structure was typical of the group, whose preserved shells show 'closely spaced prisms of calcite … at right angles to the shell walls' (Kirkaldy 1972: 151). [F_169]

 

Kirkaldy JF (1972) Fossils in Colour. 3rd edn, Blandford Press, London.

 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

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Pleurotomariid gastropod, likely Conotomaria sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Overstrand-Cromer beach, Norfolk

While on a family fossil hunt on the beach near Overstrand a few years ago, one of my sons found a large gastropod preserved as an internal mould in Chalk. Such a fossil from this site wasn't covered in the usual texts, but with advice we found out that, unusually for the UK, it was a large Pleurotomariid gastropod from the Lower Maastrichtian stage of the Chalk (late Cretaceous). With the kind help of palaeontology and earth sciences professionals, including UEA colleagues Julian Andrews and Alina Marca of the School of Environmental Sciences, we published a short note about this find (Bourke WJ et al. 2020). [F_158]

Bourke WJ, Marca A, Andrews JE, Bourke AFG (2020) Scientific note on a large gastropod (Pleurotomariidae) from Upper Cretaceous Chalk at Overstrand, Norfolk, UK. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Norfolk 70: 67-71; available from the Geological Society of Norfolk here.

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Ammonite (partial), possibly Parapuzosia sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk

This specimen was found by Tracey Chapman. It is part of the outer whorl of what must have been a very large ammonite. The possible identification as Parapuzosia sp. is based on the large size of members of this genus and the fact that it extended into the late Cretaceous (Smith and Batten 2002: 177). [F_489]

 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Belemnite, possibly Belemnitella mucronata (Chalk, Cretaceous), Caistor St Edmund Chalk Quarry (Needham Chalks Ltd), Norfolk

An uneroded, complete belemnite guard collected on a group visit to this quarry site organised by the UKAFH (UK Association of Fossil Hunters).  The possible specific identification is from its match in appearance and age to this common taxon (Smith and Batten 2002: Plate 45). [F_202]

 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Belemnite, possibly Belemnella lanceolata (Chalk, Cretaceous), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk

Belemnite guards are perhaps the commonest fossils on the Norfolk coast, generally occurring in fragments smashed up by wave action.  This one is beach-worn but complete.  The suggested taxon was again a common one, distinguished among other things by its strongly bulging centre (Smith and Batten 2002: Plate 46). [F_531]

 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Echinoid, Echinocorys scutata (Chalk, Cretaceous), Overstrand-Cromer beach, Norfolk
 

The irregular echinoid Echinocorys scutata is by far the commonest fossil echinoid (sea urchin) that we find on the north-east Norfolk coast. This specimen in chalk is unusually complete and is shown in side view (upper image) and basal view (lower image).  An identifying feature of this species is that the mouth and anus are both on the base.  In addition, the crescentic mouth is off-centre and instead positioned near the margin of the blunter, anterior end (lower image, on left) and the circular anus is on the margin of the more pointed, posterior end (lower image, on right).  For further details of the species, see Smith and Batten (2002: Fig. 13.1) and Donovan and Lewis (2011: Fig. 1). [F_393]
 

Donovan SK, Lewis DN (2011) Strange taphonomy: Late Cretaceous Echinocorys Leske (Echinoidea) as a hard substrate in a modern shallow marine environment. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 130: 43-51.
 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Echinoid, Echinocorys scutata (Chalk, Cretaceous), Overstrand-Cromer beach, Norfolk
 

The echinoid Echinocorys scutata (see previous example) also occurs preserved as internal moulds in flint.  In this specimen, seen in side view (upper image) and top view (lower image), the flint is an attractive brown colour.  More usually, specimens in flint on the Norfolk coast are mainly black or dark grey.  The specimen is missing a chunk at one side, doubtless through erosion.  The furrows also seem to be a product of erosion, in this case having occurred preferentially at the junctions of the plates, as the intact animal (see previous example) had an unfurrowed external skeleton (test). [F_472]

 

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Echinoid, Cardiaster granulosus (Chalk, Cretaceous), Happisburgh-Cart Gap beach, Norfolk
 

Several kinds of fossil echinoid are found on the Norfolk coast, but in our experience all except Echinocorys scutata are fairly scarce, at least among the larger species.  This heart urchin in flint (incomplete, but with an attractive green patina) was found by Tracey Chapman and represents one of the scarcer kinds.  It is seen here in side view (upper image) and top view (lower image).  It is identified as C. granulosus as it is a large heart urchin without sunken petals (which are characteristic of the otherwise similar Micraster) (Smith and Batten 2002: Plate 58). In addition, C. granulosus (and not Micraster) appears more typical of the Upper Campanian-Lower Maastrichtian stages of the Chalk (Smith and Batten 2002: 287; Lee et al. 2015: 80), which are the ones occurring near the site. [F_314]
 

Lee JR, Woods MA, Moorlock BSP, eds (2015) British Regional Geology: East Anglia, 5th edn. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham.
 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Echinoid, unidentified sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Trimingham-Mundesley beach, Norfolk
 

Small regular echinoids in flint, often rather eroded, are probably the next most common fossil echinoids we find on the Norfolk coast after Echinocorys scutata.  This one is seen here in top view (upper image) and basal view (lower image).  The mouth was centrally positioned on the base.  As much surface detail has probably been eroded away, and there seems to have been a number of similar species (e.g. Smith and Batten 2002: Plates 54, 55), we don't have any good identification for these specimens. [F_229]
 

Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Backfilled burrow, possibly Taenidium isp. (trace fossil) (Chalk, Cretaceous), Horsey Gap-Waxham beach, Norfolk
 

This fossil is unique in our collection and appears to be a backfilled burrow preserved in flint.  It does not seem to be an example of banded flint, which is commonly found on the Norfolk coast, as, in banded flint, (a) the 'bands' are typically straighter, narrower, closer and more regularly spaced, and (b) the margins of the overall strip are entire and not scalloped.  The possible identification of this specimen as the trace fossil taxon (ichnospecies) Taenidium, whose causative organism is unknown, is from the match in appearance to this burrow form (e.g. Bromley et al. 1999: Figs 2D, 3C). [F_522]
 

Bromley RG, Ekdale AA, Richter B (1999) New Taenidium (trace fossil) in the Upper Cretaceous chalk of northwestern Europe. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark 46: 47-51.

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Shark tooth, Ptychodus sp. (Chalk, Cretaceous), Mundesley-Bacton beach, Norfolk

Found by Tracey Chapman, this is a tooth from the crushing dentition of this extinct shark of the Chalk sea, as evidenced by its match to examples in Smith and Batten (2002: Plate 62). It is the only specimen of its kind we have found on the Norfolk coast. [F_501]
 
Smith AB, Batten DJ, eds (2002) Fossils of the Chalk, 2nd edn. The Palaeontological Association, London.

 

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Mammalian bone, unidentified sp. (Wroxham Crag Formation, Pleistocene), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk

The main kinds of fossils to be found on the Norfolk coast aside from marine invertebrates from the Chalk of the Cretaceous are of a very different type, namely mammalian bones and teeth from the far more recent Pleistocene.  They come mostly, as far as I know, from pre-glacial Pleistocene deposits at beach level or offshore, specifically the Wroxham Crag in its various forms.  Though always a thrill to find (some are from mammoth!), they frequently present as somewhat unidentifiable (at least to us) fragments of broken-up bone.  Such fossilised bone, when not obviously bone-shaped, can be recognised from (typically) being dense and heavy, hard to the touch and blackish brown or black in colour, and from being striated on the otherwise relatively smooth external surface and having an internal structure that is coarsely spongy (trabecular structure).

The specimen shown is an example, with the external surface on one side (upper image) and the spongy interior on the reverse side (lower image).  Its large size suggests it came from a very large mammal, e.g. mammoth or massive ungulate, but as it is a fragment it is in principle hard to identify more exactly. [F_380].

 

 

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Astragalus (ankle bone), unidentified ungulate sp. (Wroxham Crag Formation, Pleistocene), Mundesley-Bacton beach, Norfolk

Some Pleistocene bones on the beaches retain a recognisable shape, as in this example.  Found by Tracey Chapman, this is the astragalus (an ankle bone) of an ungulate, possibly a deer.  The identification of the type of bone and animal group is from the match in size and appearance to this bone in deer (e.g. Gustafson 2015: Fig. 44). [F_528]
 
Gustafson EP (2015) An early Pliocene North American deer: Bretzia pseudalces, its osteology, biology, and place in cervid history. Bulletin of the Museum of Natural History, University of Oregon 25: 1-75.

 

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Mammoth foot bone (possible), unidentified sp. (Wroxham Crag Formation, Pleistocene), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk
 

This is potentially another example of a recognisable piece of bone.  It is shaped like a column and very large, with (apparently) an arched external surface at one end, as seen in side view (upper image), and a flatter external surface at the other end, as seen in the end-on view (lower image).  With this size and shape, it resembles a foot bone (metacarpal or metatarsal) of a mammoth, e.g. Southern Mammoth, Mammuthus meridionalis, or Steppe Mammoth, M. trogontherii (Athanassiou 2012: Figs 17, 18). [F_371]
 

Athanassiou A (2012) A skeleton of Mammuthus trogontherii (Proboscidea, Elephantidae) from NW Peloponnese, Greece. Quaternary International 255: 9-28.
 

 

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Mammoth molar (partial), possibly Southern Mammoth, Mammuthus meridionalis (Wroxham Crag Formation, Pleistocene), Overstrand-Sidestrand beach, Norfolk

This specimen is the middle section of a mammoth molar tooth, probably from Southern Mammoth, possibly a juvenile (as judged from the specimen's relatively small size, its dimensions being c. 7.4 cm wide x 5.8 cm long x 5.0 cm deep). The widely-spaced enamel plates appear to rule out Woolly Mammoth M. primigenius (e.g. Lister 1996: 203). Of the three pre-glacial species of Pleistocene elephantid whose fossils occur on the Norfolk coast (Southern Mammoth, Steppe Mammoth M. trogontherii, Straight-tusked Elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus), Southern Mammoth had the greatest time range of occurrence (Lister 2022). In addition, among elephantid specimens identified to species level in a study of a nearby section of coast, M. meridionalis outnumbered M. trogontherii by a ratio of 3:1 and P. antiquus was not recorded at all (Bynoe et al. 2021). [F_381]

Bynoe R, Ashton NM, Grimmer T, Hoare P, Leonard J, Lewis SG, Nicholas D, Parfitt S (2021) Coastal curios? An analysis of ex situ beach finds for mapping new Palaeolithic sites at Happisburgh, UK. Journal of Quaternary Science 36: 191-210.
 

Lister AM (1996) Evolution and taxonomy of Eurasian mammoths. In: Shoshani J, Tassy P. (eds) The Proboscidea: Evolution and Palaeoecology of Elephants and their Relatives. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. pp. 203-213.
 

Lister AM (2022) British Fossil Elephants. Deposits 5 June 2022; available here

 

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Wood, unidentified sp. (Wroxham Crag Formation, Pleistocene), Happisburgh-Walcott beach, Norfolk

This specimen, with its brown colour and strongly-marked grain, looks exactly like what it is – a sea-worn fragment of wood.  Only in this case it is fossilised.  It could be taken for modern wood, but the fact that, through complete mineralisation, it is as hard as stone betrays its fossil nature.  Such fragments are quite common fossils on the Norfolk coast and provide evidence of the terrestrial nature of (some of) the fossil-bearing Pleistocene deposits. [F_401]

 

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