A routine family outing along the Suffolk coast turned into an unexpected encounter with Britain's distant prehistoric past when an 11-year-old boy noticed an unusual object lying close to the water's edge. At first glance, it looked a little different from the countless stones scattered across the shoreline, yet its shape suggested it was something else entirely. The discovery has since been identified as the fossilised tooth of an elephant relative that disappeared from Europe long before modern humans existed. Findings of this kind are uncommon, though the coastline where it emerged has long been recognised for revealing traces of ancient life as erosion steadily exposes material buried beneath the cliffs. The discovery has attracted attention not only because of the fossil's remarkable age but also because it was spotted by a child who had been talking about elephants only moments earlier.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
