A worker's discovery in a southern England limestone quarry has unearthed a 'dinosaur highway' with nearly 200 tracks dating back 166 million years. The find offers insights into the Middle Jurassic period and the lives of dinosaurs.
A worker digging up clay in a southern England limestone quarry noticed unusual bumps that led to the discovery of a dinosaur highway and nearly 200 tracks that date back 166 million years, researchers said Thursday.
The extraordinary find made after a team of more than 100 people excavated the Dewars Farm Quarry, in Oxfordshire, in June expands upon previous paleontology work in the area and offers greater insights into the Middle Jurassic period, researchers at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham said. These footprints offer an extraordinary window into the lives of dinosaurs, revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment they inhabited, said Kirsty Edgar, a micropaleontology professor at the University of Birmingham. Four of the sets of tracks that make up the so-called highway show paths taken by gigantic, long-necked, herbivores called sauropods, thought to be Cetiosaurus, a dinosaur that grew to nearly 60 feet in length. A fifth set belonged to the Megalosaurus, a ferocious nearly 30-foot predator that left a distinctive triple-claw print and was the first dinosaur to be scientifically named two centuries ago. An area where the tracks cross raises questions about possible interactions between the carnivores and herbivores. 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 Emma Nicholls, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Nearly 30 years ago, 40 sets of footprints discovered in a limestone quarry in the area were considered one of the world's most scientifically important dinosaur track sites. But that area is mostly inaccessible now and there's limited photographic evidence because it predated the use of digital cameras and drones to record the finding
DINOSAURS FOSSILS TRACKS ENGLAND ARCHAEOLOGY
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dinosaur Highway Unearthed in EnglandA 'dinosaur highway' with nearly 200 tracks dating back 166 million years has been discovered in Oxfordshire, England. The find includes tracks from both herbivores, like Cetiosaurus, and carnivores, like Megalosaurus.
Read more »
Dinosaur 'Highway' Unearthed in EnglandA worker digging in a quarry in Oxfordshire, England, discovered a 'dinosaur highway' with nearly 200 tracks dating back 166 million years. The find includes tracks from massive herbivores called sauropods and the ferocious predator Megalosaurus, offering insights into the lives of dinosaurs during the Middle Jurassic period.
Read more »
'Dinosaur highway' tracks dating back 166 million years are discovered in EnglandResearchers in England have unearthed nearly 200 dinosaur tracks that date back 166 million years.
Read more »
'Dinosaur highway' tracks dating back 166 million years are discovered in EnglandResearchers in England have unearthed nearly 200 dinosaur tracks that date back 166 million years.
Read more »
Dinosaur Highway Uncovered in EnglandA worker in a southern England quarry discovered a 'dinosaur highway' with nearly 200 tracks dating back 166 million years. The five extensive trackways reveal the movement patterns of dinosaurs across the ancient landscape.
Read more »
Largest Dinosaur Trackway in UK Unearthed in OxfordshireA team of paleontologists discovered a significant dinosaur trackway in Oxfordshire, England, containing approximately 200 footprints from the Jurassic Period. The trackway, believed to be the largest in the UK, reveals evidence of various dinosaurs, including large herbivores and carnivorous theropods, possibly including the Megalosaurus. This discovery provides valuable insights into the ancient ecosystem and dinosaur behavior.
Read more »