Scientists Find 200 Fresh Dino Footprints on UK’s ‘Dinosaur Highway’

One of the dinosaur footprints found by scientists from Oxford University and Birmingham University. | University of Oxford

Researchers from Oxford University and University of Birmingham have found large number of dinosaur footprints forming trackways which in turn, forms a ‘dinosaur highway’ in the UK’s Oxfordshire. The ‘dinosaur highway’ as it is called, was found in 1997 in the same area. It is made up of large number of dinosaur footprints indicating that the area was frequented by dinosaurs and that the specific stretch of land was extensively used by dinosaurs to go where they wanted.

The new trackways have been found Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire. Five new trackways have been uncovered. Experts were called in when a quarry worker reported ‘unusual bumps’ that revealed themselves when mud and clay covering them was removed.

Experts from University of Oxford and University of Birmingham together led a team of 100 people who carried out careful excavations to uncover around 200 footprints of dinosaurs. The excavation was done in June, 2024. The announcement was made on January 2.

As per Oxford University, the longest continuous trackway measured more than 150 metres in length. Four of the five trackways were made by sauropods (giant, long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs). The fifth trackway was made by Megalosaurus, a meat-eating dinosaur.

“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, Vertebrate Palaeontologist at Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH). Dr Nicholls was quoted by Oxford University on its website.

Megalosaurus were first scientifically named dinosaurs ever. They were studied and described for the first time in 1824.

“These footprints offer an extraordinary window into the lives of dinosaurs, revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment they inhabited,” said Professor Kirsty Edgar, Professor of Micropalaeontology at the University of Birmingham as quoted by the university on its website.

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