Mysterious skull found on Devil's Dyke in South Downs

The unusual find was made by eight-year-old Evie and six-year-old Ruben while hiking with their mother near Devil’s Dyke during a bank holiday walk on May 4.

Their mother, Sarah, told The Argus that the "papery" white skull appeared to have been left in the sun for some time and showed no obvious signs of dirt or recent animal activity.

After making a steep climb back up the north side of Devil's Dyke, the family paused by a stile for a drink, and it was there that Evie – to the chagrin of her little brother, who has a keen interest in natural history – first noticed a small white skull sitting on top of the post they’d just crossed.

Its prominent position on the stile led Sarah to believe it had been placed there by another passerby, and its unusual shape made the family suspect it was not from a native British species.

Sarah, who studied biology, said: "The placement of the eyes seemed to me as though it wouldn’t be anything obvious from the UK."

After consulting relatives during a FaceTime call, an AI identification app suggested the skull might belong to a rhesus monkey or a chimpanzee.

Sarah later posted images on the Natural History Museum UK Biodiversity Facebook group for expert opinions, where it garnered hundreds of likes and comments and sparked a spirited discussion about its origins.

One of the most popular theories is that the skull could be a sad relic of Shamrock Farm, near Henfield, which was once Britain’s only non‑human primate importation and quarantine centre.

Hundreds or even thousands of primates were traded through the site to supply UK and European labs with experimental subjects, until the site finally closed in 2000 after a high‑profile animal‑rights campaign.

However, Sarah has been unable to establish with certainty which species were kept at the farm between its opening in 1954 and its eventual closure.

Another theory points to Drusillas Park, a small zoo near Alfriston, with Facebook commenters speculating about escaped monkeys, although Sarah doubts the skull’s teeth match the species which have been kept at the zoo.

Other suggestions include the skull belonging to an illegally kept pet monkey or even a travelling circus animal.

Sarah intends to report the find to Defra, and is also open to having the skull examined by experts in order to clarify its origins.

In the meantime, Evie and Ruben have struck a bargain for shared custody of the skull.

Although the children are "very excited" about their find, Sarah has told them that the skull "belongs to nature."

She said: "We don’t own it, we’ve just found it, and somebody even found it before us."

Although a few commenters have suggested that it must be a replica, Sarah said she does believe it is bone and that "if it is not a genuine skull, it's not in bad faith."

If you think you might be able to help solve this mystery, you can contact The Argus newsdesk at news@theargus.co.uk.