It wasn’t just dinosaurs roaming around East Devon thousands of years ago – all manner of interesting creatures that no longer live in Britain called the Jurassic Coast and its surrounding areas home – including hippos!
Yes, you read that right, hippos once lived in Britain. They lived in various places in Europe upwards of 40,000 years ago. Several hippo fossils have been found across England, with a recent discovery proving that England had a climate that was similar to Africa’s around a million years ago, with several animals we more commonly find there, calling Britain and other areas of Europe home. Fossils of hippos and even elephants have been found all over the nation, including as far north as Yorkshire and some in Honiton!
The Honiton discovery was made in 1965 during the construction of the Honiton Bypass. Workers uncovered a variety of mammal bones, some of which date back to around 125, 0000 years ago, when it is believed that Britain was connected to mainland Europe and prior to the forming of the English Channel. These bones and fossils were found to have come from seventeen different hippos, an elephant, a giant ox and a red deer. After the examination, it was established that the hippo bones in particular were made up of elderly and juvenile hippos and it is likely that a natural disaster took place in what is now the Otter Valley, which trapped the weakest members of the hippo pod.
This particular species of hippo is thought to be the hippopotamus antiquus, which was much larger than their modern cousins, weighing around 3 tonnes and roamed the world around 1 – 2 million years ago. The remains are now on display at Allhallows museum in Honiton, who regularly hold free hippo hunts around the museum as part of the display. The hippos, alongside the other mammals that were discovered during the creation of the bypass are among some of the youngest to be found in East Devon. They aren’t the only fossils of their kind to be found in Devon either, elephants and hyenas were also found in Bideford in North Devon and Buckfastleigh on Dartmoor.
These hippos, much like their modern counterparts, might have resembled pigs but are actually more closely related to whales and dolphins. The name comes from Ancient Greek and literally translates as River Horse – though they aren’t particularly horse like either, they can only run up to 19 mph over short distances. They do however live in rivers, lakes and mangrove swamps, tending to live in pods with a territorial bull (male hippo) presiding over a stretch of water with a group of cows (female hippos), calves and juvenile males. They are among the most dangerous animals in the world because of their aggressive and unpredictable behaviour – so imagine how much more terrifying they would have been back when they lived in Britain!
Hippos were one of many now extinct animals that lived in and around the Jurassic Coast. Honiton is a great base for exploring some of the fossil hunting experiences around this area because of its proximity to places like Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton, both places along the Jurassic Coast. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Jurassic Coast is incredibly popular with visitors and fossil hunters. The coastline actually covers more than just the Jurassic period, as can be seen by the varying colours of the cliffs as you make your way around the region. The red rocks that are seen in East Devon came from deserts that existed in the region around 201 million years ago during the Triassic.
Some of the discoveries made around East Devon and the Jurassic Coast include:
- Rauisuchians – bones and teeth of these crocodile like creatures have been found here – a footprint from one was found in Sidmouth
- Ichthyosaurs – these have been found in places like Lyme Regis
- Plesiosaurs – the remains of one of these was discovered nearby in Dorset recently
- Brachiopod – small marine creatures that are found all over the Jurassic Coast
- Rynchosaur – one was found on the top of the Budleigh Salterton Pebble Beds, fossils of this can be found on display in Exeter
- Tetrapods – these are common around East Devon
- Archosaur – fossil fragments have been found around East Devon
- Ctenosaurisucus
- Tanystropheus
- Small prehistoric shrimp and fish
- Conifer trees
- Ammonites
- Pterosaurs – Mary Anning discovered proof of these in Lyme Regis
- Dimorphodon - Mary Anning discovered one of these too
- Kapes – a small lizard like creature was discovered in Sidmouth
- A 150 million year old stomach stone was also discovered along the Jurassic Coast
The Honiton Hippo is also remembered every year in September with an endurance race that takes place around the area. You can find out more here.
Want to see where else you can see fossils in this part of the world?
Visit:
- Honiton’s Allhallows Museum
- Sidmouth Museum
- Fairlynch Museum
Just remember, if you go fossil hunting, it is illegal to remove fossils and pebbles from the beaches around the Jurassic Coast, so take photos only!