Scots dad uncovers 8000-year-old dolphin bones while digging out swimming pool in garden
dailyrecord.co.ukA Scots dad digging a swimming pool in his back garden for his kids discovered the bones of a 10ft-long dolphin thought to date back up to 8000 years.Archaeologists have described the find in Causewayhead, Stirling, as “once in a lifetime”.
Dad-of-four Paul McDonald, 44, was digging the rectangle pool when his digger struck bone. He recognised the shape of the dolphin’s skull before uncovering the rest of the skeleton in the clay.It is believed the bottlenose dolphin washed up when the area was part of an ancient shoreline.
Evidence of a broken deer antler tool suggests it was found by hunter-gatherers and made into a meal.The cetacean sank into the clay, where it was preserved until being found by Paul about 80cm down.Orthopedics medical rep Paul said: “I was digging in the pool when I caught something unusual.
I rolled it back and came down and pulled it out. I saw the roundness of the skull and the snout and teeth and I knew right away it was a dolphin.
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