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166 million-year-old <dinosaur highway> discovered in southern England

Aerial drone photography captured in April 2024 shows the Oxfordshire "dinosaur highway" site before the excavation. University of Birmingham
Aerial drone photography captured in April 2024 shows the Oxfordshire "dinosaur highway" site before the excavation. University of Birmingham

In a groundbreaking discovery, nearly 200 dinosaur footprints from the Middle Jurassic Period, dating back 166 million years, have been unearthed at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, England. Dubbed the "dinosaur highway," this site is now the largest known dinosaur trackway in the United Kingdom.

Initially noticed in 2023 by quarry worker Gary Johnson, the footprints represent an unprecedented find. With over 100 volunteers from the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford collaborating in a weeklong excavation in June 2024, researchers uncovered five extensive trackways, including one over 150 meters long. These tracks predominantly belong to sauropods like Cetiosaurus, as well as the predatory Megalosaurus, the latter being tied to the area’s history as the site of the world’s first described dinosaur in 1824.

The footprints, preserved in ideal Jurassic-era sediment conditions, offer invaluable insights into dinosaur movements, group behaviors, and predator-prey dynamics. Advanced aerial photography and 3D modeling have allowed researchers to reconstruct the interactions and biomechanics of these ancient giants, revealing that most of the sauropods traveled northeast at a human walking pace of 5 km/h, while the Megalosaurus followed shortly thereafter.Several volunteers work to examine the footprints uncovered throughout the Oxfordshire quarry in June 2024. Emma Nicholls/OUMNH 

This discovery, aligning with the 200th anniversary of Megalosaurus's naming, promises to revolutionize our understanding of these creatures. With ongoing excavations planned, the site could yield even more significant findings in the years to come, ensuring the legacy of the "dinosaur highway" endures.

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