Dog-walkers' chance find reveals Britain's most complete mammoth skeleton

In 1986 a couple walking near Condover in Shropshire unearthed hundreds of mammoth bones from a quarry, leading to the discovery of an adult mammoth and several juveniles—the most complete mammoth skeleton found in Britain and north-west Europe. Radiocarbon dating dated them to about 12,800 years ago, reshaping views of mammoths in western Europe. Analyses suggest the adult (about 30–32 years old) died after getting trapped in a kettle hole, with younger mammoths dying at different times. The bones were cleaned and studied across Ludlow, Cardiff, and Shropshire museums and are now displayed or stored, helping spur exhibits and a 40th-anniversary celebration of the find.