Hippopotamus

Bone fragment, possibly from the skull, of a hippopotamus from the Pleistocene epoch (130,000-114,000 years ago). This fossil was discovered during the 1968 construction of the Honiton Bypass and was donated to RAMM by the Ministry of Transport. In the Pleistocene, the land where Honiton is today was marshy and straight-tusked elephant and hippo lived in the area. The remains found when the bypass was made are mainly of young or old animals (17 were hippos) and it is thought that these weaker individuals became stuck in the marsh and died.

Object Summary

Accession Loan No.
302/1968/245
Collection Class
Fossils
Collection Area Region
Northern Europe
Common Name
hippopotamus
Simple Name
fossil: mammal

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HIPPOPOTAMIDAE: Hippopotamus amphibius Linnaeus: hippopotamus