"Dinosaur Road": Scientists discover unusual footprints over 160 million years old (photos).

A group of scientists from the universities of Oxford and Birmingham discovered approximately 200 dinosaur footprints in the Dewars Farm quarry in England, dating back 166 million years. This finding alters our understanding of the largest reptiles, writes the Independent newspaper.

During the excavation, archaeologists uncovered five large trails — sections of a "dinosaur highway" — as well as other similar tracks. The longest continuous chain of footprints exceeded 150 meters in length, with four of them made by herbivorous dinosaurs such as sauropods and cetiosauruses, a cousin of the diplodocus measuring up to 18 meters. The fifth trail was created by a nine-meter carnivorous megalosaur with large three-toed feet equipped with claws.

Notably, in one area, there were overlapping tracks of a predator and an herbivore. This raises questions about how these animals interacted.

A team of over 100 scientists from the universities of Oxford and Birmingham participated in a week-long excavation in June 2024. They managed to find around 200 footprints, take 20,000 photographs, and create 3D models of the site using drone aerial photography.

In 1997, while extracting limestone, more than 40 sets of tracks were discovered, some reaching lengths of 180 meters. According to experts, the new findings provide valuable information about how dinosaurs walked, their size, and more.

"The footprints are so well preserved that we can see how the mud deformed under the dinosaurs' feet. Together with other fossils — burrows, shells, and plants — we can recreate the muddy environment of the lagoon that the dinosaurs walked through," explains geologist Duncan Murdoch from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

In the opinion of Richard Butler, a professor of paleobiology at the University of Birmingham, the archaeological team will uncover much more new information and insights about an important part of Earth's heritage.

"Our 3D models will allow researchers to continue studying and make this exciting part of our past accessible to future generations," he concluded.

Previously, scientists determined which species of animals lives longer than any other on Earth. The oldest living creature on the planet is considered to be the brine shrimp, a family of small freshwater crustaceans.