Beneath the waves of the North Sea, a region known for its fisheries and energy reserves, lies a rich archive of a prehistoric world. For generations, fishermen have pulled up more than their intended catch, with nets often containing the bones and teeth of long-extinct animals. These accidental discoveries have revealed that the seafloor is a vast repository of Ice Age fossils, offering a window into a time when the landscape and its inhabitants were different.
The Lost World of Doggerland
The reason for this underwater fossil abundance lies in a submerged landmass known as Doggerland. During the Pleistocene epoch, or Ice Age, massive glaciers locked up enormous volumes of water, causing sea levels to be as much as 120 meters lower than today. This exposed a huge area of the continental shelf, connecting what is now Great Britain with mainland Europe. This was not a barren wasteland but a productive landscape of rolling hills, wooded valleys, and large rivers.
This plain was part of the “Mammoth Steppe,” a cold, dry environment that stretched across Eurasia. It was a fertile ecosystem that supported a wide diversity of plants, large herds of animals, and the early humans who hunted them. As the last glacial period ended around 12,000 years ago, the climate warmed and the ice sheets melted. This released water back into the oceans, causing sea levels to rise steadily.
The rising waters gradually inundated Doggerland over thousands of years. What was once a continuous land bridge first became a collection of low-lying islands before disappearing completely beneath the waves around 8,000 years ago. The cold temperatures and low-oxygen conditions of the seafloor sediments acted as a preservative, protecting the remains of the animals and humans that once lived there.
Common Fossil Discoveries
The fossils recovered from the North Sea paint a picture of the diverse megafauna that roamed Doggerland. The most common finds are from the woolly mammoth, with countless tusks, molars, and bones having been brought to the surface. The remains of other animals are also frequently discovered.
These herbivores supported a range of predators, and their fossils have also been found. The fossil record includes:
- Woolly rhinoceros
- Steppe bison
- Wild horses
- Reindeer
- Cave lions
- Wolves
- Hyenas
- Giant deer (Irish elk)
Evidence of a human presence is also part of the fossil assemblage. Stone tools, including hand-crafted flint implements, have been found, indicating prehistoric human activity. The discovery of a 13,000-year-old fragment of a modern human’s skull confirmed that Homo sapiens inhabited this land before it was lost to the sea.
Methods of Fossil Recovery
The discovery of North Sea fossils is largely an accidental byproduct of commercial activities. The primary method of recovery for over a century has been through fishing, particularly bottom trawling. Fishing boats dragging heavy nets across the seabed to catch flatfish often haul up bones and tusks. An area between England and the Netherlands, nicknamed the “Brown Bank,” is known for yielding numerous finds.
Another source of fossils is industrial dredging. Companies that extract sand and gravel from the seafloor for construction inadvertently suck up fossils along with the sediment. For instance, the expansion of the Rotterdam port has been a rich source of prehistoric remains. The heavy bones and teeth are often separated from the lighter sand during processing.
Amateur fossil hunters and beachcombers also contribute to the discoveries. Along the coasts of the Netherlands and the eastern UK, storms and strong currents can wash fossils out of the seabed and onto the shore. After being found, these saltwater-saturated fossils require careful preservation, including a months-long desalination process to prevent them from disintegrating.
Fossil Hunting and Notable Finds
For those inspired to search for their own piece of the lost world, the beaches of the Netherlands and the East Anglia coast in the UK are promising locations. A successful hunt often involves timing a visit after a storm or during a very low tide, which can expose new material. Fossilized bone is heavier and denser than recent bone and can be distinguished from rock by its porous texture. Reporting finds to local museums is encouraged, as they can provide important scientific data.
Several discoveries highlight the scientific importance of the North Sea. In 2001, a fragment of a Neanderthal skull was found by a dredger off the coast of Zeeland, providing the first definitive evidence of this human species in the submerged landscape. Another find was a bison bone dated to about 13,500 years ago, decorated with a zigzag pattern—the oldest piece of art ever recovered from the North Sea.
One of the most complete finds was the assembly of a nearly full mammoth skeleton in 2014 by Dutch fossil hunters, from bones collected over time near Rotterdam. These ongoing discoveries, often made by chance, continue to shape our understanding of Ice Age life and the environmental changes that created the world we know today.