Eve Roberts' 1986 call led experts to five mammoth remains in Shropshire. Radiocarbon dating put them at about 14,000 years old, thousands of years later than scientists thought mammoths survived in Britain. The adult's skeleton is the most complete found in Britain.
Quarry workers showed Roberts an unusually large bone; they had thought the bones might be from a horse. She contacted Shropshire Museum Service and later helped with excavation and treatment. Prof Adrian Lister said her call led to a proper excavation and that, without it, he did not think the find would have come to scientific attention.
Research later showed the four juveniles were not a family and had died at different times. The adult was identified as a male about 30 to 32 years old. Experts believe the mammoths were drawn to nutritious vegetation around a muddy kettle hole formed as ice retreated, then became trapped. Most original bones are held at Ludlow Library and Museum Collection Centre, with some on display at Shrewsbury Museum.
