Major Discovery: Nearly 200 Dinosaur Footprints Unearthed in England
Scientists have uncovered close to 200 dinosaur footprints from the Middle Jurassic Period, dating back 166 million years. This remarkable find, located at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England, has been dubbed the "dinosaur highway" due to the extensive pathways left behind by the prehistoric creatures.
The discovery was initially made in 2023 when quarry worker Gary Johnson noticed unusual ground patterns while extracting limestone. Further exploration revealed that this is the largest dinosaur track site ever documented in the UK, adding to the area's rich history of Jurassic findings.
Collaborative Excavation
In June 2024, around 100 volunteers from the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford participated in a week-long excavation. They carefully documented the tracks, which included five major pathways. The most extended trackway spanned over 150 meters (492 feet).
Dinosaur Tracks in Detail
The tracks primarily belonged to sauropods—large, herbivorous dinosaurs such as Cetiosaurus, which could reach up to 18 meters (59 feet) in length. Footprints from their hind legs were particularly prominent, measuring up to 90 centimeters (35 inches).
Additionally, a separate trackway belonged to the predatory Megalosaurus, a dinosaur reaching up to 9 meters (30 feet) in length. Its distinctive three-toed prints measured around 65 centimeters (2.1 feet). The paths suggest that the Megalosaurus may have moved through the area shortly after the herbivorous sauropods.
Unique Preservation and Insights
The site offers a rare glimpse into the lives of dinosaurs due to its exceptional preservation conditions. Soft sediment, combined with water and rapid burial—likely from a storm—allowed the footprints to remain intact over millions of years.
Unlike bones, which can be displaced, these tracks provide direct evidence of dinosaur movements, group dynamics, and behavior. The tracks reveal that most dinosaurs in the area traveled northeast at a walking pace of about 5 kilometers per hour (3 miles per hour).
Future Research
During the excavation, researchers used drone photography to capture over 20,000 images of the footprints, which will be used to create detailed 3D models. These models will help scientists further study dinosaur biomechanics and interactions.
The excavation has only scratched the surface, leaving many areas unexplored. As quarrying continues, researchers plan to conduct additional excavations each summer to uncover more of the site's hidden secrets.
Legacy of Oxfordshire
This discovery coincides with the 200th anniversary of the first described dinosaur, the Megalosaurus, found in Oxfordshire in 1824. The site not only strengthens the area's significance in paleontology but also opens doors to understanding more about these ancient giants.
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