Burrowing Rabbits Discover Priceless Artifacts On Skokholm Island

On uninhabited Skokholm Island, two miles off the coast of Wales, burrowing rabbits dug out two Stone Age tools and one Bronze Age piece of pottery. Although it was the Skokholm bunnies that unearthed these treasures, these finds have created enormous excitement in the archaeology community.

The Rabbit Burrow Find and Skokholm Island History

Skokholm Island is uninhabited today, except for two bird researchers Richard Brown and Giselle Eagle, who have lived on Skokholm since 2013. Lockdown isolation was nothing new to them. The pair discovered the objects next to a rabbit burrow and sent photos to archaeologists to confirm the finding.

Skokholm Island lighthouse, home of Richard Brown and Giselle Eagle, who found the treasures the rabbits had unearthed. (Erni / Adobe Stock)

Skokholm Island is small, covering an area of 1 mile by ½ mile (1.6 km by 0.8 km). Previous to the recent Brown and Eagle finds, hardly any archaeological evidence had been found on the island. Therefore, these rabbit burrow finds will help in understanding the island’s obscure history.