Remains of an extinct breed of Bronze Age cattle have been discovered by archaeologists in a cave in the Yorkshire Dales.
Researchers working with cave explorers uncovered the remnants of an auroch while surveying a number of caverns and sinkholes near Ingleborough.
The team also found evidence of the area being used as a human burial site during the Neolithic period.
A spokesperson said the discoveries had helped shed light on how the caves were used by those who lived and farmed in the Dales prehistory.
Aurochs were once found across Europe before habitat loss and hunting wiped them out in the 17th Century. They are regraded as the wild ancestor of modern cattle.
The Ingleborough Cave Archaeology Project is part of a £3m scheme, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, aimed at securing the future of upland commons in the Yorkshire Dales, Dartmoor, the Lake District and the Shropshire Hills.
It highlighted the important role cavers play in uncovering underground history, with some of the chosen cave sites requiring specialist skills to access.
Rick Peterson, a caving archaeologist at the University of Central Lancashire said: “It’s often experienced local cavers who are the first to encounter archaeological finds such as these as they are the only ones who can access the caves.
“This partnership now ensures that any discoveries made during recreational caving are officially documented.”
As well as examining the history of Ingleborough, the project also looked at ways to engage today’s farmers in sustainable and adaptive land management practices.
Ingleborough is one of the few places in England where “commoning” traditions remain with around a dozen farmers still grazing sheep on the land under rights dating back to the Magna Carta.
Project officer Claire Braeburn said: “Ingleborough has a longstanding history as common land, so we wanted to see if the caves held evidence of just how long humans began farming on the fell.
“Over half of England was common land, but now it’s just 3%. This project has helped us understand more about human interaction with the common and the land’s longstanding biodiversity.
“It has shown how important preserving these ancient practices is or we risk losing them forever.”
