A self taught Fenland fossil hunter has set academic pulses racing with the discovery of the skull of a woolly rhinoceros.

Cambs Times: The skull of a woolly rhinoceros thought to be at least 35,000 years old has been found in Cambridgeshire.The skull of a woolly rhinoceros thought to be at least 35,000 years old has been found in Cambridgeshire. (Image: Archant)

Jamie Jordan, who runs Fossils Galore in March, said the skull, which is thought to be at least 35,000 years old, was uncovered by a digger driver on nearby farmland.

The skull has been inspected by an expert from the National History Museum, who described it as “an apparently well-preserved, largely complete skull of a woolly rhino and relatively uncommon”.

Mr Jordan said: “The skull is about one metre long and we’re very lucky it came out nearly whole.

“It’s a very rare find so it’s going to take pride of place at the fossil centre.”

Woolly rhinos, which are described as “a bit like giant furry lawnmowers”, used to roam the plains chomping on grass until they became extinct about 35,000 years ago.

This is not the first time Mr Jordan has made headlines for one of his discoveries - in 2012 he unearthed the bones of an enormous fish in a Fenland quarry that was more than 160m years old and a completely new species.