Amazing Auroralumina
In 2022 scientists revealed an amazing new discovery from the rocks of Charnwood Forest, a find that would transform our view of how animals evolved…
The First Animal Predator
Auroralumina attenboroughii is very different to the other fossils in Charnwood Forest. Most of the others have bodies made of frond-shaped elements, and had a way of organising their bodies (a body plan) that is now extinct. This new discovery has a skeleton, with densely packed tentacles, and no fronds. It’s not like anything else known from the fossil record at this time, and is much more similar to things we might see in the ocean today.
Visit this Geosite to discover more about this amazing fossil, and its connection to Sir David Attenborough.
This site features a chainsaw-carved sculpture of Auroralumina, made by Peter Leadbeater. The geosite was unveiled on Friday 8 May 2026, in celebration of the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough.
Find the geosite at What3Words location ///poppy.majoring.moguls
The site is near the cafe at the lower Beacon Hill car park.