In 2024, a remarkable discovery was made at Dewar’s Farm Quarry, located near Bicester, Oxfordshire, England, where new large sauropod dinosaur footprints were found. This year, palaeontologists from Oxford University, Birmingham University, Liverpool John Moores University, and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History uncovered approximately 200 additional footprints comprising four distinct tracks, including Europe’s longest sauropod dinosaur track.
A 166-million-year-old sauropod dinosaur footprint at Dewar’s Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England. Image credit: University of Birmingham.
The four newly discovered tracks at Dewar’s Farm Quarry date back to the Middle Jurassic period, approximately 166 million years ago.
These belong to sauropod dinosaurs, which are characterized as large-bodied, long-necked herbivores. Cetiosaurus.
Among these discoveries is Europe’s longest sauropod dinosaur footprint, extending roughly 220 meters from the first exposed footprint to the last.
Professor Kirsty Edgar from the University of Birmingham commented: “We were thrilled to return to the Dewar’s Farm quarry earlier this year to continue our excavation and unveil further dinosaur footprints.”
“This site in Oxfordshire boasts the largest dinosaur footprint in the UK and is likely the largest dinosaur footprint in the world that has been mapped, considering previous discoveries from the 1990s on the same surface nearby.”
Over seven days, the team faced a much drier and harder surface compared to previous years, concentrating on about 80 very large (up to 1 meter) sauropod footprints that create a remarkable trajectory running roughly north-south across the site.
In addition to the extensive sauropod track, three other shorter tracks were revealed, one of which is a continuation of a trace initially discovered in 2022.
While these findings may not be published continuously, the accumulation of data could lead to even longer orbital patterns.
Minor discoveries at the site included marine invertebrates, plant material, and a crocodile jaw.
Professor Richard Butler from the University of Birmingham stated: “Most of what we comprehend about dinosaurs is derived from their skeletons, but dinosaur footprints and deposits can offer valuable insights into how these creatures lived and the environments they inhabited over 166 million years ago.”
“A significant aspect of this latest excavation involves systematic sampling of the sediments associated with the footprints and those filling the footprints, which are currently under analysis to better understand the environment in which they were formed and how they have been preserved.”
“It is likely that additional footprint surfaces will be uncovered in the coming years, and a comprehensive explanation of their significance, new scientific findings, and potential future conservation of the site will be published soon.”
Source: www.sci.news
