Cetacean sensation

Experts blown away by Paul's find while digging swim pool in garden

- GEORGE MAIR

A SCOTS swimming garden for his kids discovered the bones of a 10ft-long dolphin thought to date back up to 8000 years.

Archaeologists have described the find in Causewayhead, Stirling, as "once in a lifetime".

Dad-of-four Paul McDonald, 44, was digging the rectangle pool when his digger struck bone.

He recognised the shape of the dolphin's skull before uncovering the rest of the skeleton in the clay.

It is believed the bottlenose dolphin washed up when the area was part of an ancient shoreline.

Evidence of a broken deer antler tool suggests it was found by hunter-gatherers and made into a meal dad digging a pool in his back The cetacean sank into the clay, where it was preserved until being found by Paul about 80cm down.