The cave was first investigated for its Neolithic remains in 1865, with excavations by Italian palaeontologist Arturo Issel.[1][5] An excavation was carried out in 1892 by John H. Cooke. The bulk of this material was stored in Malta, while a comparative collection was sent to the British Museum.[1] This material was studied by Forsyth Major in 1902, who isolated a new dwarf species of dwarf hippopotamus, Hippopotamus melitensis, based on these findings.