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FOUND: Elephant fossil on the Isle of Wight

A fossil from an extinct species of elephant dating back 100,000 years has gone on display on the Isle of Wight.

The shoulder bone of the Palaeoloxodon antiquus was found protruding from the sand on the west coast of the island by local resident Paul Hollingshead.

The bone is at the Dinosaur Isle museum in Sandown and is thought to date from the Eemian interglacial period.

Alex Peaker, the community learning assistant at the museum, said it was "quite a surprise" when Mr Hollingshead brought the fossil in.

He said "the bone would've disintegrated if it wasn't treated right, so now we can preserve it for the future".

This clip is originally from 5 live breakfast on Sunday 3 January, 2016.

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2 minutes

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