Rare 6ft mammoth tusk discovered off the coast of Mersea Island

A mammoth tusk found off the coast of West Mersea. Picture: Citizan Archant

Archaeologists have uncovered a rare, 6ft long mammoth tusk off the coast of Mersea Island.

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The discovery, by volunteers at the Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network (Citizan), was made thanks to low tides in the area at around 7am today.

Project manager Stephanie Ostrich said she was “shocked” to see the tusk, which the team came across by chance more than half a mile away from Cooper’s Beach.

The expert, who often goes out on excavations with the Mersea-based team, said: “It was a crazy thing to see just lying there.

“We normally find quite a few interesting items when tides are low, but this tusk was particularly rare.

“We’ll need to do more tests to see exactly how rare it is and how old it is.

She added: “It was in good condition surprisingly – who knows how long it has been there – but it was a little fragile so we left it where it was.”

Mammoths roamed the Earth more than 100,000 years ago and most populations of the ancient animal were wiped out by the most recent Ice Age.

They were roughly around the size of African elephants, weighed around six tonnes and were up to 10 feet tall.

Rings contained within mammoth tusks can help researchers to discover how old they are, something Citizan volunteers in London will be doing over the next few months.

Samples taken from the tusk are also to be sent off for further tests.

Miss Ostrich said: “It will be very interesting to see its history, and we’ll be able to make a 3D image of it with the photographs.

“We actually found it nearly a kilometre away from the beach which is also unusual.”

Once the tests are completed they will be able to see how it compares with other rare finds in East Anglia.

The team, made up of volunteers and members, form part of a nationwide community archaeology project working in areas of England exposed at low tide but covered at high tide.

West Mersea, on Mersea Island, was hand-picked by the Citizan team.

Keep up to date with the team’s progress here.