Skull of an extinct aurochs discovered by woman walking on Blyth beach at low tide
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The animal is a predecessor to modern cattle.
Professional singer Dannielle Keys, from Blyth, was walking along the beach at low tide on Wednesday, November 2 when the skull caught her eye.
After uncovering it, the 51 year-old realised it was much larger than expected.
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Hide AdShe said: “When I got home I told my lad about it and we had a little look on the internet.
“Luckily when I went back down the next day with the car it was still there.”
Dannielle retrieved the skull, which is now drying out.
After sending photos to the Great North Museum, it was confirmed the find is almost certainly an aurochs skull.
Danielle added: “It is quite exciting really. It is not every day that you find something as unusual or as old as that.
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Hide Ad“When it is dried out I will probably look at getting it mounted so it is a display piece.
“Then, I do not know what I will do with it, to be honest. It is quite large.
“I will be going back down to the beach over the next few weeks at low tide and having a look around to see if there's any other remains, because you never know.”
What is an aurochs?
Aurochs are an extinct bovine species that is considered a wild ancestor to modern domestic cattle.
It is believed they evolved in Asia and migrated west.
They became extinct when the last individual died in Poland in 1627.
Male Aurochs stood up to 180cm tall and females up to 155cm.