Record-breaking dinosaur footprint discovered: ‘Couldn’t believe what I was looking at’

(Image credit: The University of Manchester )

The UK's Yorkshire coast is the site of thousands of dinosaur footprints and other striking fossils. Yet, a recent discovery has left researchers amazed.

While walking along the coast, a local archaeologist stumbled upon a dinosaur footprint 80 centimetres long. She couldn't believe what she had just seen and hurriedly began contacting other experts.

After she got in touch with palaeontologist Dean Lomax at the University of Manchester, a team was sent to collect the specimen from the shoreline.

"I couldn’t believe what I was looking at, I had to do a double take," Woods said. "I have seen a few smaller prints when out with friends, but nothing like this. I can no longer say that ‘archaeologists don’t do dinosaurs’".

Investigations revealed that the footprint belonged to a massive meat-eating theropod from the Jurassic era, who may have rested at the spot some 166 million years ago. It is the largest such footprint found the region, according to the university.

Describing the footprint as a "wonderful find", Lomax said it offered key insights into the behaviour of the now-extinct predators.

"Features of the footprint may even suggest that this large predator was squatting down before standing up," Lomax said. "It’s fun to think this dinosaur might well have been strolling along a muddy coastal plain one lazy Sunday afternoon in the Jurassic."

The discovery is significant because it is one of the only six similar prints detected along the Yorkshire Coast. The first one was found in 1934.

And, it has fascinated people around the world. Woods said she has been flooded with messages from curious people from all corners.