(ORDO NEWS) — It turned out that Yorkshire was home to some fairly large animals, as this is where an 80 cm long dinosaur footprint was discovered.
This is the largest three-toed print ever found in the area and is believed to have been made when a theropod was here 166 million years ago.
Experts believe that the dinosaur was a megalosaurus, a carnivorous bipedal beast that grew to about 9 meters in length in the middle Jurassic.
His imprint was discovered in April 2021 by archaeologist Marie Woods while walking along the beach near Filey, gathering shellfish for dinner.
Over the past century, thousands of traces of the Jurassic period have been discovered along the east coast of Yorkshire, earning it the nickname “Dinosaur Coast”.
These finds belong to approximately 25 different groups of dinosaurs, suggesting that a diverse animal ecosystem lived in the area between 175 and 160 million years ago.
All footprints left by walking, running and swimming dinosaurs have been found. The latter is one of six “three-toed” prints found in the area and is the largest of all.
The previous record holder was discovered by geologist John Hudson in 2006, who is also the lead author of a new study of Ms Woods’ find, published in the Proceedings of Yorkshire Geological Society.
He said: “This important discovery adds further evidence that meat-eating giants once roamed the area during the Jurassic.
The type of track, combined with its age, suggests that it was left by a ferocious megalosaurus-like dinosaur with a possible hip height of 2.5 to 3 meters.
The scientists explain that the print is a remarkable find, not only because this specimen is the largest theropod footprint found in Yorkshire, but also because by studying the angle of the footprint, its shape and claw prints, scientists get an idea of the behavior of this animal approximately 166 million years ago.
“In fact, the features of the trail may even suggest that this large predator squatted down before standing up.
It’s funny to think that this dinosaur could very well be walking along a muddy coastal plain on one lazy Sunday afternoon during the Jurassic period,” the researchers explained.
Now the track must undergo conservation, after which it will be exhibited at the Rotunda Museum in Scarborough.
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