Unexpected discovery of dinosaur footprints

A worker quarrying in Oxfordshire noticed some “unusual bumps” beneath the surface of the clay. He could never have dreamed that he was actually following in the footsteps of the dinosaurs.

Experts from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham later confirmed the discovery of about 200 footprints spread throughout the quarry, forming a “dinosaur highway” consisting of five rows of giant footprints. The footprints, thought to be around 166 million years old, were left by at least two different dinosaur species at a time when Oxfordshire was next to a tropical sea with many shallow lagoons and mudflats.

Dr. Duncan Murdock, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, said: “The level of preservation is so detailed that it is possible to see how the mud was deformed when the dinosaur’s foot stepped on and lifted it. Along with the chemicals other fossils like caves, shells and plants, we were able to recreate the muddy lagoon environment that dinosaurs traveled through.”

Researchers think four of the footprints were made by the giant herbivorous Sauropoda, with the 18-meter-long Cetiosaurus the most likely candidate. The fifth set of footprints bears the characteristic three-toed claw marks of the carnivorous dinosaur Megalosaurus, up to 9 meters long. This is also the first dinosaur to be given a scientific name in 1824 – exactly 200 years before this new excavation.

The longest set of footprints stretches over 150 meters, and these five sets make up the largest set of dinosaur footprints in the UK. Located at Dewars Farm Quarry, this prehistoric highway adds to the extensive collection of dinosaur footprints at the site, where another 40 sets of footprints were discovered in 1997.

Researchers used drone photos to create 3D models of the newly discovered footprints, capturing them in unprecedented detail. Using these digital replicas, the team hopes to gain new insights into how these dinosaurs moved and behaved.

For example, the footprints show that Megalosaurus had a stride of about 2.7 meters, with the distance between the footprints suggesting that this prehistoric creature moved at a similar speed to modern humans – about 3 km/h . The Sauropods also appeared to move at a similar speed, and their footprints even intersected those of the Megalosaurus at one point. This raises interesting questions about whether and how these different dinosaurs interacted with each other.

Newly discovered dinosaur footprints will be displayed at a new exhibition at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.