Prehistoric Elephant Tusks and Fossils
The coast east of Herne Bay between Beltinge and Reculver is a particularly important location for the Palaeocene, the period of geological history following the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Fossils, including razor-sharp sharks’ teeth can be found from the Palaeocene rocks at low tides on the beach.
Over the last 2.5 million years there have been several ice ages. During the last ice age woolly mammoth roamed cold grassy tundra in southern Britain. Some fossils such as the tusks and teeth of straight-tusked elephant found at Herne Bay are from animals that lived during warm periods in between the Ice ages. Other animals from these warm periods include hippopotamus, narrow nosed rhinoceros and cave lions.
Visit the Museum to see:
– Prehistoric animal bones
– A sea turtle from around 50 million years ago in the Eocene when Herne Bay was part of a shallow tropical sea fringed with lush forests. Other fossils found in the London Clay include plants, fish, crabs, sharks, snakes, crocodiles and even birds!
– Fossils from Beltinge including sharks’ teeth