Explore the Discovery of Kirkdale Cave, with a hyena tooth
From Scarborough Museums and Galleries 

Incredible though it may seem, this hyena tooth was found in a North Yorkshire cave. It gives us an amazing insight into prehistoric life 120000 years ago, long before evidence of human activity in these parts.

Kirkdale Cave, near Kirkbymoorside, was first discovered by workmen in the area around 1821 and the bones were very nearly lost to the scientific community. It seems that the workmen had been using them to fill potholes in the roads nearby, believing the bones to be those of cattle buried in the cave.

A local surgeon, Thomas Harrison who lived in Kirkbymoorside, is credited with realising that these bones were something special when he spotted them on the road that July. His experience as a county coroner made him well-placed for having knowledge of anatomy.  

Though some of the remains belonged to animals like red deer that still live on the North York Moors, many give us a glimpse into the range of other species once prevalent on British shores. These include elephants and hippopotamuses that don’t live here any more, though we can find them on other continents. Others like the cave hyena and woolly rhinoceros are now extinct.

There are animal remains from these important Yorkshire caves in a number of museum collections across the region, including Scarborough Museums and Galleries. 200 years after their discovery, the Kirkdale Cave creatures were illustrated by author and artist Tim Hopgood. 

Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Click on the photo to enlarge it.

A perplexing puzzle

In 1821, many of the leading thinkers of the time were happy to explain the presence of these creatures in Britain through the traditional Biblical story of the Great Flood that made Noah famous. However, others attempted to apply careful scientific investigation to the cave.

As news of its discovery spread, the theologian, geologist and palaeontologist William Buckland became involved. Buckland realised that Kirkdale Cave’s small opening was the only way into the cave – there had never been a larger entrance and it was therefore impossible for animals the size of those whose remains had been found to have ‘floated’ in during a flood. He set about analysing the evidence to form another theory: that the cave had been the site of a prehistoric hyena den.

The hyenas would have worked in groups to catch their prey, as well as scavenging on the bodies of larger animals, which they would drag back to the cave to eat.

Interglacial Britain

Scientists have known for a long time that Britain and Europe experienced an Ice Age. It took them longer to realise that we had lots of little ice ages.

120000 years ago we were in an interglacial time. It was during this period when Britain was warmer that it was populated by animals including hippos and cave hyenas, which are now more common to Africa. Hyenas lived in Britain for thousands of years, becoming extinct here around 12000 years ago.

Inspiring artistic interpretation

A selection of original artwork was created by artist Tim Hopgood as part of the 200 year anniversary commemoration of the discovery of Kirkdale Cave. You can see all the different creatures whose remains were found in the cave and also explore a selection below. The distinctive use of silhouettes keeps the animals at a distance from the viewer.

Hopgood’s artwork is familiar to children globally through his works, including ‘Wow! Said the Owl’, ‘What a Wonderful World’ and ‘Fabulous Frogs.