The 80-cm- (31.5-inch) long footprint was possibly made by a Megalosaurus-like theropod dinosaur, and is assigned to the ichnogenus Megalosauripus.
The 166-million-year-old theropod dinosaur footprint from the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK. Image credit: Hudson et al., doi: 10.1144/pygs2022-008.
The rare large dinosaur print with clawed, padded digits was found by local archaeologist Marie Woods in April 2021.
It came from the Long Nab Member of the Scalby Formation, Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK.
“I couldn’t believe what I was looking at, I had to do a double take. I have seen a few smaller prints when out with friends, but nothing like this,” said Woods, co-author of a paper published in the Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society.
“I can no longer say that ‘archaeologists don’t do dinosaurs.’ At the time of the discovery, it generated a lot of public interest and I was overwhelmed with the messages on social media from people around the globe.”
The record-breaking footprint measures 80 cm in length, making it the largest of its type ever found in Yorkshire.
It was made by a very large, probably megalosaurid, theropod dinosaur at least 166 million years ago (Jurassic period).
“The east coast of Yorkshire is known as the Dinosaur Coast for very good reasons,” said co-author Dr. Mike Romano, a paleontologist at the University of Sheffield.
“A huge number of dinosaur tracks, ranging in the thousands, have been discovered. As a result, this stretch of coastline is considered one of the best places in the world for dinosaur footprints.”
“Although first documented way back in 1907, it was not until the 1980s that finds were being reported on a regular basis (by amateurs as well as professional geologists), until today approximately 25 different types of footprints have been recognized.”
“Although these different types do not necessarily represent the same number of different dinosaurs, they do indicate a diverse ecosystem of animals including both carnivores and herbivores that roamed the Jurassic coastal plain and fluvial complex some 160-175 million years ago.”
“The prints also allow us to interpret their behavior. Thus, we have records of walking, running and swimming dinosaurs.”
The Yorkshire dinosaur footprint was made by a Megalosaurus-like dinosaur. Image credit: James McKay.
“This important discovery adds further evidence that meat-eating giants once roamed this area during the Jurassic,” said local geologist John Hudson, lead author of the paper.
“The type of footprint, combined with its age, suggests that it was made by a ferocious Megalosaurus-like dinosaur, with a possible hip height between 2.5 and 3 m.”
“Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to be formally described, in 1824.”
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“This is a wonderful find,” said co-author Dr. Dean Lomax, a paleontologist at the University of Manchester.
“Not only does this specimen represent the largest theropod footprint found in Yorkshire, but by studying the angle of the footprint, its shape, and the impressions of the claws, the fossil provides insights into the behavior of this individual from around 166 million years ago.”
“In fact, features of the footprint may even suggest that this large predator was squatting down before standing up.”
“It’s fun to think this dinosaur might well have been strolling along a muddy coastal plain one lazy Sunday afternoon in the Jurassic.”
Source: sci.news
