Dinosaur highway 'longest of its kind in the world'
Summary
Scientists discovered the longest continuous dinosaur trackway in the world at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, made up of 200 footprints from 166 million years ago. The tracks likely belong to Cetiosaurus, a large plant-eating dinosaur, and show that multiple dinos lived on islands in a shallow sea that once covered the area.Key Facts
- The trackway includes 200 footprints believed to be from Cetiosaurus, a long-necked, four-legged plant-eater about 18 meters (59 feet) long.
- The prints date back 166 million years and form the longest continuous sauropod (large herbivorous dinosaur) trackway discovered.
- Different sizes of footprints suggest either a family herd or multiple types of sauropods lived in the area.
- The site also contains footprints from Megalosaurus, a meat-eating dinosaur about 9 meters (30 feet) long.
- Oxfordshire was once covered by a shallow sea with islands where dinosaurs lived, similar to the Bahamas or Florida Keys today.
- One unique footprint shows a sauropod pausing, possibly while looking back at a nearby Megalosaurus.
- The sauropod was too large for Megalosaurus to hunt, but smaller dinosaurs nearby might have been at risk.
- Scientists are working with quarry operators and conservation groups to decide how to protect and preserve the site.
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