"Where Did They Come From and Where Did They Go"... 200 Dinosaur Footprints Discovered in the UK

At Least Four Dinosaurs Moving in the Same Direction
Trace of a Carnivorous Dinosaur Following a Herbivorous Dinosaur

The largest dinosaur footprint site in British history has been discovered in Oxfordshire, England. These footprints appear to be traces of dinosaurs moving in a similar direction about 160 million years ago.

On the 7th, Yonhap News cited the British daily Washington Post (WP) reporting that scientists from the University of Oxford and the University of Birmingham found these traces last summer at a quarry in Oxfordshire. The scientists excavated over 200 footprints believed to have been left by at least five dinosaurs around the same time.

On the 3rd (local time), dinosaur footprint fossils excavated from a quarry in Oxfordshire, England, were revealed. Photo by EPA, Oxfordshire

The dinosaur footprints were first discovered by a worker operating an excavator at the quarry. The excavator collided with a protruding part on the ground, which was a trace of mud displaced when a dinosaur stepped on the ground. The excavator operator suspected these might be dinosaur footprints as the protruding and depressed areas appeared repeatedly. Dinosaur footprints had also been found at this quarry in the 1990s.

The excavated footprints are believed to have been left by four herbivorous dinosaurs called Cetiosaurus and one carnivorous dinosaur called Megalosaurus that inhabited the area about 166 million years ago. One of these footprints extended an impressive 152.4 meters (500 feet). More than 100 scientists and volunteers reportedly participated in the excavation.

The researchers conducted casting work to create models of each footprint and took over 20,000 photos to generate 3D models of individual footprints. Based on this, they expect to understand how the dinosaurs moved, the environment they lived in, and where they migrated. Footprint data provides information that cannot be obtained from bone fossils.

On the 3rd (local time), dinosaur footprint fossils excavated from a quarry in Oxfordshire, England, were revealed. Photo by EPA, Oxfordshire Yonhap News

Four of the five dinosaurs all moved toward the north. This direction matches the movement directions of other dinosaur footprints previously excavated in nearby areas. It is unknown whether they all had the same destination. However, Kirsty Edgar, a professor of paleontology at the University of Birmingham who led the excavation, speculated that "Cetiosaurus and other sauropod dinosaurs likely had a habit of moving in groups."

She added, "It is unclear whether all the footprints were left simultaneously. Considering the preservation methods, the intervals between the footprints were likely within a few weeks or months at most."

The environment where the dinosaurs lived at the time is presumed to have been warm with shallow swamps. The dinosaurs left these trackways by stepping on muddy ground. Scientists have nicknamed this footprint site the "Dinosaur Highway."

Duncan Murdock, a paleontologist at the University of Oxford, said, "Over time, many sediments accumulated over the footprints, creating an environment that preserved them clearly."

The footprints believed to belong to the carnivorous Megalosaurus were found partially overlapping the footprints of one herbivorous dinosaur. Scientists explain this suggests that the carnivorous dinosaur passed by later than the herbivore.

Professor Edgar stated, "Based on the spacing and depth of the excavated footprints, it is estimated that the dinosaurs were walking slowly at about 4 km/h rather than sprinting or walking quickly."