The bones, 10ft long and estimated to be around between 6000 to 8000 years old were found in clay in the back garden of a house in Causewayhead.

Paul McDonald had been digging there as part of work to build a swimming pool for his four children.

Stirling Council archaeologist Murray Cook this week described the discovery as being “of international significance”.

Ten thousand years ago the Carse, he said, would have been an inland sea teeming with life - what is now Raploch and Bridge of Allan would have been under water.

Beside the Causewayhead bottlenose dolphin bones was a deer antler which is thought to have been used to cut the dolphin’s flesh.

…

“It shows the different attitudes humans have towards animals across the centuries.

“If we find whales or dolphins on the shore today the first thing we look at is refloating them.

“But the hunter-gatherers who found the dolphin probably thought - let’s hack into it and eat it.

“They may have been living around the Forth looking for salmon, geese and deer.

“The discovery of the dolphin food source would have been a boon - although it would not have been without its risks - we don’t know how fresh the carcass would have been.”