Guesses are flooding in about which animal a mysterious bone could be from after it was found on Sheringham beach by a nine-year-old boy.

Callum Hoare found the unidentified bone on the beach between Sheringham and West Runton on Wednesday, October 13 while walking his dog with his dad.

Eastern Daily Press: Callum Hoare aged 9 has found a giant bone that might belong to a mammoth on Sheringham beach. Pictures: Brittany WoodmanCallum Hoare aged 9 has found a giant bone that might belong to a mammoth on Sheringham beach. Pictures: Brittany Woodman (Image: Brittany Woodman/ Archant)

He said: "We were walking our dog and I was looking for fossils because I normally find a lot of belemnites when we are on the beach.

"But this is the biggest fossil I've ever found on the beach."

Eastern Daily Press: Callum Hoare with the giant bone that he found on Sheringham beach.Callum Hoare with the giant bone that he found on Sheringham beach. (Image: Brittany Woodman/ Archant)

The avid fossil hunter has a collection of around 40 belemnites, the fossilised remains of part of an extinct mollusc, but can now add the large bone to his collection.

Callum said: "I was looking in a rock pool and saw a rock that looked like a piece of flint but I looked at it some more and thought it also looked like a bone.

Eastern Daily Press: Callum Hoare aged 9 and his dad Chris Hoare have found a giant bone that might belong to a mammoth on Sheringham beach. Pictures: Brittany WoodmanCallum Hoare aged 9 and his dad Chris Hoare have found a giant bone that might belong to a mammoth on Sheringham beach. Pictures: Brittany Woodman (Image: Brittany Woodman/ Archant)

"I tried to lift it out of the sand but I couldn't, so my dad had to.

"At first I thought it might be a cow femur but it looked too thick, then dad showed me a video of a mammoth skeleton we were sent and I think that might be what it is."

Callum's dad, Chris Hoare, posted pictures of the bone on a Sheringham community group on Facebook where people quickly started to guess what it might be.

Mr Hoare said: "The interest is crazy, my post has over 500 likes and we're getting lots of people messaging about what they think it might be.

Eastern Daily Press: Callum Hoare often looks for fossils on the beach in Sheringham. Pictures: Brittany WoodmanCallum Hoare often looks for fossils on the beach in Sheringham. Pictures: Brittany Woodman (Image: Brittany Woodman/ Archant)

"A man in Holland who sent us a video of a mammoth skeleton thinks it might be a mammoth femur and someone suggested it might be the bone of a massive prehistoric deer.

"Someone said they hoped it's not a human bone, but it's definitely too big for that."

The bone, which is 16 inches long and five inches at its widest part, is now in a bucket of fresh water at the family's Sheringham home to help protect it, awaiting identification.

Eastern Daily Press: Giant bone that 9 year old Callum Hoare found on Sheringham beach.Giant bone that 9 year old Callum Hoare found on Sheringham beach. (Image: Brittany Woodman/ Archant)