Archaeologists scouring a Scottish loch believe that they have discovered the remnants of wood which was gnawed by beavers up to 8000 years ago.

The ancient timbers found in the roots of a "drowned forest" by the shore of Loch Tay, Perthshire, add to the evidence that beavers lived in Scotland thousands of years ago.

Dr Nicholas Dixon, chairman of the Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology (STUA), called the discovery "exciting" and revealed that many of the sticks have well-preserved teethmarks. Archaeologists working for STUA first found the site in 2005, but it was not until recently that the possible remains of beaver dams and lodges were discovered.

Initial testing indicated that the forest was 4000 years old, but later carbon-dating placed the remains between 1500 and 8000 years.

Simon Jones, of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: "This is a rare and exciting find. This adds to the evidence that beavers . . . were a key part of the Scottish landscape until they became extinct."

Mr Jones is also project manager for the Scottish Beaver Trial, which will see beavers introduced on a time-limited basis into Mid-Argyll as part of Scotland's Species Action Framework.

A selection of the beaver-gnawed sticks will be on temporary display at the Scottish Crannog Centre by Kenmore.