A nearly a meter long footprint of a giant carnivorous theropod dinosaur from the Jurassic period has been discovered in the county of Yorkshire in northern England by British researchers who described the case in an article published in the journal Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. The find represents the largest footprint of its kind ever found in Yorkshire. Interestingly, the unusual footprint seems to capture the moment when the dinosaur rested or crouched around 166 million years ago.
The Yorkshire coast is known for producing some stunning fossils from a visual and scientific point of view, including thousands of dinosaur footprints. The region is a popular destination for professional paleontologists and fossil enthusiasts alike. People come from far and wide to see what they can find; But not every day an 80 centimeter long footprint is discovered.
Photo of the giant footprint. Photo credit: Marie Woods
accidental discovery
This recordbreaking footprint was found by local archaeologist Marie Woods in April 2021. While walking along the coast, she came across this fossil completely by accident. In her excitement and disbelief, Marie contacted local fossil experts, but none of them knew of the track she was describing. Then she contacted Dr. Dean Lomax, University of Manchester paleontologist and author of Dinosaurs of the British Isles.
Marie, coauthor of the study, said: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, I had to do a double take. I’ve seen some smaller footprints when I was out with friends but nothing like that. I can no longer say that “archaeologists don’t make dinosaurs”. At the time of discovery, it generated a lot of public interest and I was amazed by the news on social media from people from all over the world.”
The last scientifically significant footprint found along the Yorkshire coast is one of six similar footprints recorded in the area, the first of which was found in 1934. The tridactyl (threetoed) footprint is the largest ever recorded. The earlier print, on display at Scarborough’s Rotunda Museum, was discovered in 2006 by John Hudson, lead author of the new study describing the giant discovery.
Local geologist and surveyor John Hudson said: “This important discovery provides further evidence that giant carnivores once roamed this area during the Jurassic. The type of footprint combined with its age suggests that it came from a wild Megalosauruslike dinosaur with a possible hip height of between 2.5 and 3 meters.” Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to be officially described in 1824.
Immediate action
After numerous discussions and the exchange of images, which showed the great fragility of the site, it became clear that immediate action was required to recover the important specimen from the shore. Leaving it there would expose it to further erosion and tidal damage, or total loss from landslides.
Together, the team needed to act quickly and ensure samples were collected safely and responsibly. The specimen was recovered by Redcar’s experienced fossil collectors Mark, Aaron and Shae Smith.
As the rescue mission progressed, it turned out that the trail had been found five months earlier by local fossil hunter and coauthor of the new study, Rob Taylor. However, at the time of initial discovery, the trail had not been fully uncovered and therefore the full extent and importance of the footprint had not been fully appreciated.
The doctor. Lomax, coauthor of the new study, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Mark, Aaron and Shae for rescuing this important specimen and ensuring it was preserved for science. Now that the specimen has been examined, the plan is to put it on public display to capture the imagination of the next generation of fossil hunters.”
thousand footprints
Marie and Rob donated the specimen to the Scarborough Museum and Galleries. It has already been used by John Hudson and Dr. Dean Lomax, with additional information from Dr. Mike Romano from the University of Sheffield. The doctor. Romano has researched the Yorkshire coast for over 20 years and in particular has collected and studied hundreds of dinosaur tracks. The team compared the new specimen to similar tracks collected around the world, particularly in Europe and North America.
“The east coast of Yorkshire is known as the Dinosaur Coast for a reason,” said Dr. Roman. A large number of dinosaur tracks, numbering in the thousands, have been discovered. Because of this, this stretch of coast is considered one of the best places in the world to find dinosaur footprints. Although first documented in 1907, discoveries were not regularly reported (by amateur and professional geologists alike) until the 1980s. To date, approximately 25 different types of footprints have been identified.
The doctor. Romano added: “While these different species don’t necessarily represent the same number of different dinosaurs, they do indicate a diverse ecosystem of animals, including carnivores and herbivores, that roamed the Jurassic coastal plain and river complex around 160 to 175 million years ago. Footprints also allow us to interpret their behavior. So we have records of walking, running, and swimming dinosaurs.”
information about the behavior
“This is a wonderful discovery,” said Dr. Lomax. “Not only does this specimen represent the largest theropod footprint found in Yorkshire, but by examining the angle of the footprint, its shape and the claw marks, the fossil provides insight into the behavior of this individual some 166 million years ago. In fact, footprints might even indicate that this large predator crouched before standing up. It’s amusing to think that this dinosaur might as well have been strolling across a muddy coastal plain on a lazy Sunday afternoon in the Jurassic.”
The footprint is now in the care of the Scarborough Museum and Galleries and is expected to be shown to the public along with the other fossil footprints at the Rotunda Museum once the conservation is complete.