Probably recovered from Chamber D in Victoria Cave during excavations in the 1870’s. A number of hyena skeltal elements from the Ipswichian interglacial were recovered during the excavations.

Archived in the Tot Lord collection in Yorkshire.

Currently archived in the Tot Lord collection in Yorkshire.

This bone provides a rare glimpse into the fascinating mix of sub-tropical and temperate woodland species that once roamed the Yorkshire Dales. It was found in 1872 by Victorian archaeologists inside Victoria Cave, Yorkshire, along with the remains of lions, brown bear, hippo, elephant, rhino, giant deer and a rare form of woodland mammoth. The bones had been brought into the cave by spotted hyenas, who were using it as a den during the Last Interglacial – a particularly warm period which lasted from about 130,000-115,000 years ago. It’s possible that this bone belonged to a bull injured during the Autumn mating season, before being hunted down by the hyena pack.

Archived in the Tot Lord Collection, Yorkshire.

These teeth belong to an extinct species of giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) that once grazed the Yorkshire Dales 120,000 years ago. They were found in 1872 by Victorian archaeologists inside Victoria Cave. The bones had been brought into the cave by hyenas, who used it as a den during the Last Interglacial – a particularly warm period which lasted from about 130,000-115,000 years ago. Misidentified at the time (hence the word “Bison” inked on the specimen), the antlers of adult male giant deer spanned over 3m and probably meant they preferred the open Dales uplands to the wooded valley floors.

Archived in the Tot Lord collection, Yorkshire.

This fragment of hippo tusk (Hippopotamus amphibius) was found in Victoria Cave, near Settle, providing hard evidence of the species that lived here during Last Interglacial – an Ice Age warm period lasting from 130,000-115,000 years ago.

Found by Victorian archaeologists in 1874, they believed it to be their most important discovery that year.

Hippo will travel considerable distances from their watery habitats in search of suitable grazing, and it is astonishing to realise that they once grazed the Dales… Even more so when you imagine the stand-offs between hippos and hyenas!

Archived in the Tot Lord Collection, Yorkshire.

This unworn tooth belonged to a young, straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) living in the Yorkshire Dales 120,000 years ago.

It was found in 1872 by Victorian archaeologists inside Victoria Cave, near Settle, along with the remains of hippo, rhino, lion, brown bears and giant deer, it was probably part of a skull brought in by hyenas.

A prime, male elephant would have stood over 5m tall, but at just 3 years old this baby was still entirely dependent on its mother for food and protection.

Although we can empathise with the mother loosing her baby, by keeping the local elephant population in check, hyenas helped maintain what must have been an unimaginably rich ecosystem at the time.

Archived in the Tot Lord Collection, Yorkshire.