A fact from Whitecliff Bay and Bembridge Ledges appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 13 April 2020 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
Did you know... that fossils from twenty-one species of mammals have been identified at Whitecliff Bay on the Isle of Wight?
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Isle of Wight, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of the county of the Isle of Wight in South East England on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Isle of WightWikipedia:WikiProject Isle of WightTemplate:WikiProject Isle of WightIsle of Wight-related articles
Latest comment: 4 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion
The page says 'The fossils from twenty-one species of mammal have been identified at Whitecliff Bay'. The linked reference says the same. but does not give any more evidence, such as a list of fossils, or evidence that they are mammals. The linked pdf at https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1000806.pdf says 'Within the Headon Hill Formation and the Bembridge Marls occur two important faunas of fossil mammals, from which 21 species have been identified. Only one other locality in Europe yields mammal faunas from rocks of this age, and has a much less diverse fauna than Whitecliff.' It does not identify the 'other locality', or provide any information to allow a comparison.
This page was linked to by the English Wikipedia home page on 13 April 2020. It does Wikipedia's reputation no good to highlight such a evidence-lacking claim, and disappoints those interested in fossils.
A search of the web revealed no further information on what these fossils are.
