Paleontologists have uncovered hundreds of different dinosaur footprints, including footprints left by the 9-m (29.5-foot) ferocious predator Megalosaurus and by herbivorous dinosaurs up to twice that size, at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, the United Kingdom.
Tracks of carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, the United Kingdom. Image credit: University of Birmingham.
“These footprints offer an extraordinary window into the lives of dinosaurs, revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment they inhabited,” said University of Birmingham’s Professor Kirsty Edgar.
Professor Edgar and colleagues unearthed five extensive dinosaur trackways dating back to the Middle Jurassic epoch, around 166 million years ago.
The longest continuous trackway measured more than 150 m (492 feet) in length.
Four of the trackways were made by gigantic, long-necked, herbivorous dinosaurs called sauropods, most likely to be Cetiosaurus, an up to 18-m- (59-foot) long cousin of the well-known Diplodocus.
The fifth trackway was made by the carnivorous theropod dinosaur Megalosaurus, which had distinctive, large, three-toed feet with claws.
One area of the site shows the carnivore and herbivore tracks crossing over, raising questions about whether and how the two were interacting.
“Scientists have known about and been studying Megalosaurus for longer than any other dinosaur on Earth, and yet these recent discoveries prove there is still new evidence of these animals out there, waiting to be found,” said Dr. Emma Nicholls, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Together, the paleontologists uncovered around 200 footprints and built detailed 3D models of the site using aerial drone photography.
“There is much more that we can learn from this site, which is an important part of our national Earth heritage,” said University of Birmingham’s Professor Richard Butler.
“Our 3D models will allow researchers to continue to study and make accessible this fascinating piece of our past for generations to come.”
During the excavation, the researchers captured more than 20,000 images of the footprints.
These will provide a wealth of material for further study and education and could yield valuable insights into how these dinosaurs walked, including speeds, how large they were, and if and how they interacted.
“The preservation is so detailed that we can see how the mud was deformed as the dinosaur’s feet squelched in and out,” said Dr. Duncan Murdock, a researcher at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
“Along with other fossils like burrows, shells and plants we can bring to life the muddy lagoon environment the dinosaurs walked through.”