Key facts
- A dinosaur trackway consisting of 200 footprints, dating back 166 million years, has been identified as the world's largest of its kind.
Researchers have identified a dinosaur trackway of 200 footprints, dating back 166 million years, as the largest of its kind globally. Discovered at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, the tracks are believed to belong to Cetiosaurus, a large sauropod, and potentially Megalosaurus.
This discovery significantly expands our understanding of dinosaur behavior and the prehistoric environment of Britain, providing the most extensive evidence of sauropod movement and potential inter-species interactions found to date.
Researchers have declared a dinosaur trackway, comprising 200 footprints made 166 million years ago, as the largest of its kind discovered globally. The site, located at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, was excavated under the leadership of Dr. Emma Nichols from Oxford University's Museum of Natural History.
The extensive trackway is believed to reveal the movements of Cetiosaurus, a massive sauropod, and potentially Megalosaurus, a large carnivorous dinosaur. Dr. Nichols described the find as the "longest exposed continuous sauropod trackway in the world," noting variations in footprint size that suggest either a family herd of Cetiosaurus or multiple sauropod species.
During the Jurassic period, the Oxfordshire area was a tropical environment with islands, similar to the modern Bahamas or Florida Keys, where dinosaurs like Cetiosaurus and Megalosaurus lived. Evidence at the site indicates that a sauropod and a Megalosaurus once crossed paths on the same bedding plane.
One particular sauropod footprint shows the animal leaning on one leg, which Dr. Nichols speculates could be a reaction to the presence of a Megalosaurus. While the sauropod was too large to be prey, the predator might have been tracking smaller animals in the herd. The future preservation of the trackway is being discussed by scientists, quarry operators Smiths Bletchington, and Natural England.