Stunning Jurassic highway: Hundreds of dinosaur footprints unearthed in Oxfordshire quarry

In an exciting discovery, researchers have uncovered hundreds of dinosaur footprints from the middle Jurassic era in a quarry in Oxfordshire, southern England. These prints reveal how massive dinosaurs, including the nine-meter-long predator Megalosaurus, once roamed the area.

The footprints were found at Dewars Farm Quarry during a dig by researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham. They uncovered five long trackways, with one stretching over 150 meters.

Herbivores and carnivores cross paths

Four of the tracks were made by sauropods, enormous long-necked herbivores likely related to Cetiosaurus, a cousin of the Diplodocus that could grow up to 18 meters in length. The fifth trackway belonged to the carnivorous Megalosaurus, known for its three-toed, clawed feet.


Interestingly, the herbivore and carnivore tracks cross at one point, sparking questions about whether these dinosaurs interacted and what might have happened between them.

A historic dinosaur and a new discovery

Megalosaurus holds a special place in history as the first dinosaur to be named and described back in 1824. This discovery highlights how even after 200 years of study, new evidence about these ancient creatures can still come to light.

Emma Nicholls, a vertebrate palaeontologist at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, remarked, "We've been studying Megalosaurus longer than any other dinosaur, yet these findings show there’s still so much to learn."

Discovery sparked by quarry worker

The footprints were unearthed thanks to Gary Johnson, a quarry worker, who noticed "unusual bumps" while clearing clay to expose the quarry floor. His observation led to an excavation in June involving over 100 researchers.

Around 200 dinosaur footprints were uncovered, offering a fascinating glimpse into life 166 million years ago. The universities described the discovery as a significant addition to our understanding of Jurassic-era dinosaurs.

Inputs from Reuters