Ascension : Ancient Goat Fossils found on Ascension Island.
Submitted by The Islander (Conservation Office) 09.10.2008 (Article Archived on 23.10.2008)

While working in the field on Tuesday the 16th of September, Assistant Conservation Officer Stedson Stroud, volunteer Mrs Elizabeth Hill and I were out observing and counting endemic plants for the conservation department’s yearly plant census.

While working in the field on Tuesday the 16^th of September, Assistant Conservation Officer Stedson Stroud, volunteer Mrs Elizabeth Hill and I were out observing and counting endemic plants for the conservation department’s yearly plant census.

There was much observation along the way and we soon came to a very large cave.

The cave was interesting with lots to see different grasses species, baby fairy terns on the upper cliff and lots of introduced plants, and then we found a pair of goat skulls under some rocks that looked as though had fallen a long time ago.

 One of the skulls was very large with big long horns which we think might have been the male,(Billy)  the other skull had corroded a bit and this may have been the female (Nanny).  So we kept looking around the cave, and soon found another skull with both of its horns.

We agreed that the skulls should be taken back and given to the Heritage Society, as they have a photographic record of what was believed to be the last goats hunted and shot on Ascension Island.

 Elizabeth checked the records and found that last goat was shot in 1944, so these fossils were more than sixty years old.

The large skull measured was 20cm, 8 inches.  It had a length of 21cm, the skull and horns measured together was 33cm or 13inches, a very large goat indeed.

The corroded skull measured is 18cm, The measurements of the smaller skull showed that the horns was 9cm long and the skull 14cm, this might have been a large kid.

Probably a family of goats killed by rock fall, it was a delicate operation removing and transporting the fossils down the hill.

These Goat fossils will be placed in the museum along side the 1944 photograph.