<b>By Suffolk Gazette staff

The remains of an ancient race of cave-dwelling prehistoric man have been found in Norfolk, excited archaeologists have confirmed.</b>

Named <i>Homo canariensis</i>, the original skeletons were discovered at Grime's Graves in Thetford, and date back 5,000 years to the Neolithic Age.

It is not believed the species had the intelligence or skill to work the nearby flint mine, but the simple tribe is now known to have occupied caves for many years feeding on bats and decomposing leaves.

<center><a href="http://www.suffolkgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/norfolk-man-cave.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-3087"><img src="http://www.suffolkgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/norfolk-man-cave-e1458034161124.jpg" alt="norfolk-man-cave" width="777" height="520" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3087" /></a><i>A recently discovered Norfolk man living in his cave</center></i><br><br>

Experts say that as waves of invading immigrants swept through Britain, including the Celts, Romans, Saxons and Normans, few of the Ancient Britons survived - but in backwaters like Norfolk, life has continued virtually unchanged for millennia.

In fact, recent DNA fingerprinting has revealed that they never actually died out at all, but are still present within the genome of isolated populations all over Norfolk.

Possessing long arms and additional digits to each limb, it is believed their hands and feet were webbed, which would have conferred an advantage when wading through the boggy fenlands. The unusually small cranial cavity meant that this poor unfortunate creature had a very small brain and so was unable to develop basic commercial and social skills, or even simple physical skills like football.

Professor Doug Pitt, head of archaelogy at the University of Suffolk, was delighted with the discovery. He said: "If prehistoric man can survive virtually unchanged in Norfolk it may be possible that wolves and bears are still at large in Thetford Forest. Perhaps the auroch cattle and giant elk may also have survived as well.

"Vast tracts of uncharted land remains north of Diss, so there is no telling who or what else may be discovered as we continue our work.”

* * * *

Like The Suffolk Gazette on Facebook now! <iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden; height: 21px;" src="//www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsuffolkgazette&amp;width&amp;layout=button_count&amp;action=like&amp;show_faces=false&amp;share=true&amp;height=21" width="300" height="150" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

<a href="http://www.suffolkgazette.com/buy-us-a-beer/">Please support my running costs by clicking here and buying me a beer!</a>
[olimometer id=1]
