Nearly 200 dinosaur footprints dating back 166 million years have been uncovered in southern England, offering an extraordinary glimpse into the lives of dinosaurs during the Middle Jurassic period, FOX News reports.
The discovery, dubbed a “dinosaur highway,” was made at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire and sheds new light on the movements and interactions of long-extinct species.
The footprints, uncovered by workers excavating clay in the limestone quarry, were identified by a team of over 100 researchers from the universities of Oxford and Birmingham. Among the tracks are paths made by Cetiosaurus, a massive herbivore that reached up to 60 feet in length, and Megalosaurus, a 30-foot carnivorous predator that was the first dinosaur to be scientifically named nearly 200 years ago.
“This discovery provides an extraordinary window into the lives of dinosaurs, revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment they inhabited,” said Kirsty Edgar, a micropaleontology professor at the University of Birmingham.
The site includes five extensive trackways, four of which are attributed to the sauropod Cetiosaurus. These long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs left behind large, rounded footprints. The fifth trackway, made by Megalosaurus, is marked by distinctive three-clawed prints, hinting at the predator’s movements. One area where the tracks intersect has sparked curiosity among researchers, who are exploring the possibility of interactions between herbivores and carnivores.
“The preservation is so detailed that we can see how the mud was deformed as the dinosaur’s feet squelched in and out,” noted Duncan Murdock, an earth scientist at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Other fossils, including burrows, shells, and plant remains, add context to the lagoon environment where the dinosaurs once roamed.
This discovery builds upon earlier findings in the region, where 40 sets of dinosaur footprints were unearthed nearly 30 years ago. However, much of that site is now inaccessible, and the current excavation has taken advantage of modern technology. Researchers used drones to create 3D models and captured over 20,000 digital images of the footprints, ensuring comprehensive documentation for future studies.
“Scientists have been studying Megalosaurus longer than any other dinosaur on Earth, yet these discoveries prove there is still much to learn,” said Emma Nicholls, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Oxford museum.
The findings will be featured in a new exhibit at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and highlighted in an upcoming episode of the BBC’s “Digging for Britain.”
