Scientists in England uncovered a set of nearly 200 ancient footprints, calling the site a “dinosaur highway” that offers new insights into life 166 million years ago.
Key Facts:
– Excavation took place in the Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England.
– The tracks are from the Middle Jurassic period, dating back roughly 166 million years.
– The footprints belong to species such as Cetiosaurus and Megalosaurus.
– This discovery expands on one made nearly 30 years ago in a nearby limestone quarry.
– Researchers took more than 20,000 images and used drones to create 3-D models of the footprints.
The Rest of The Story:
A worker at the quarry noticed peculiar bumps in the clay, leading to a massive excavation by a team of over 100 people.
Through careful digging, the team identified what appears to be a network of footprints from different dinosaurs, including the long-necked Cetiosaurus, which reached up to 60 feet in length.
The site also revealed tracks from Megalosaurus, a 30-foot predator that paleontologists consider the first dinosaur ever formally named.
The intersecting paths of these creatures raise fascinating questions about their interactions and movements.
Scientists are keen to understand whether these footprints indicate a shared migration path or simple chance encounters in the same muddy lagoon.
Thanks to modern technology like drones and advanced imaging, the research team documented each footprint in detail, creating 3-D models that will help future studies reconstruct how these dinosaurs walked and how fast they traveled.
The region has been of significant interest to paleontologists for decades.
Previous excavations yielded about 40 footprints in the 1990s, though their preservation in photographs was more limited.
Now, with better tools and techniques, experts have a richer set of data to examine dinosaur behavior and the environment they once roamed.
The footprints—complete with impressions suggesting the dinosaurs’ weight and gait—serve as a time capsule, showing how these massive animals moved across a tropical landscape.
The teams uncovered multiple enormous trackways, dating back to the Middle Jurassic Period (around 166 million years ago).
They're part of a huge ‘dinosaur highway’ & include footprints from the predator Megalosaurus & herbivorous dinosaurs twice that size.
Hear from the team 👇 pic.twitter.com/7ialdTzjaR— Uni of Birmingham (@unibirmingham) January 7, 2025
The Bottom Line:
This discovery offers a rare glimpse into the ancient world, revealing how both colossal herbivores and formidable carnivores shared pathways.
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Modern technology has made it easier to capture extensive visual and scientific data, paving the way for deeper understanding of dinosaur life.