Extraordinary discovery: traces of giant dinosaurs dating back 166 million years in England
Researchers recently unearthed hundreds of dinosaur footprints dating back to the mid-Jurassic period at a quarry in Oxfordshire, southern England. These tracks reveal that reptiles, such as the nine-meter-long carnivorous dinosaur Megalosaurus, traveled on huge trails.
Researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham announced this Thursday that excavations at the Dewar’s Farm quarry have discovered five paths, one of which is more than 150 meters long. Of these trails, four were left by giant, long-necked, herbivorous dinosaurs called sauropods. The latter probably belong to the cetiosaur family, cousins of the famous Diplodocus, which measured 18 meters long.
The fifth trail was left by a carnivorous Megalosaurus-type dinosaur, with distinctive three-toed feet and impressive claws.
Scientists point out that the tracks of carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs, dating back almost 166 million years, intersect, raising intriguing questions about how these two types of dinosaurs interacted in their environment.
Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to receive a scientific name, in 1824, marking the beginning of the study of dinosaurs and sparking a growing interest in these creatures for more than 200 years.
Emma Nichols, a paleontologist at the University of Oxford’s Natural History Museum, said: “Scientists have studied Megalosaurus longer than any other dinosaur, but these recent discoveries show that there are still unknown aspects of these dinosaurs. animals, waiting to be revealed.”
The buried footprints were discovered after Gary Johnson, a quarry worker, felt “unusual bumps” while scratching the quarry floor. More than 100 researchers then carried out excavations at the site in June, finding nearly 200 footprints.
The Press
