Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in southeast England, unearthing hundreds of dinosaur footprints that date back to the Middle Jurassic Period, around 166 million years ago. The site, known as a “dinosaur highway,” is believed to be one of the most significant dinosaur track discoveries for over 25 years.
A team of more than 100 scientists, volunteers, and students excavated the site in June, uncovering four sets of tracks from a gigantic herbivorous species called sauropods. A fifth set of tracks was left behind by the fearsome Megalosaurus, a bipedal predatory dinosaur. The team used over 20,000 images from drones and conventional photography to create detailed 3D models of the site for future study.
The discovery provides an extraordinary window into the lives of dinosaurs, revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment they inhabited during that time. Researchers are now working on plans to preserve the site, despite its location in a working quarry with no public access.
The excavation has been documented in a BBC documentary series, “Digging for Britain,” which is available to stream on iPlayer. The findings will also be highlighted in an exhibition at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/01/11/dinosaur-highway-england-megalosaurus-cetiosaurus/77548514007