One of the World’s longest: Dinosaur footprints stretching over 650 feet discovered in UK

One of the World’s Longest Dinosaur Trackways Unearthed in Oxfordshire Quarry (Image: Reuters)

One of the world's longest sequences of dinosaur footprints has been discovered by a group of researchers in Oxfordshire, exposing a 220-metre track left behind by a gigantic sauropod that inhabited the planet 166 million years ago.

How was the discovery achieved?

The exceptional discovery was unearthed at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, with experts from all over the UK, including Oxford University's Museum of Natural History, coming together to uncover the prints. The trackway was found buried under tonnes of rock after a controlled explosion cleared layers of ancient limestone.

Emma Nicholls from Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History described the discovery as extraordinary, saying the footprints were “insanely big”. Palaeontologist Kirsty Edgar from the University of Birmingham told the BBC, “We’re uncovering something that people have never seen before. It’s so rare to find something this big.”

What did scientists uncover?
The largest trackway, now known as the dinosaur superhighway, extends across the quarry and is believed to have been made by a sauropod similar to Cetiosaurus. This long-necked, four-legged herbivore could grow up to 18 metres in length. Each footprint measures around one metre wide, about twice the size of an elephant’s foot.

Peter Falkingham from Liverpool John Moores University explained that the front and back feet sank into the same spots, showing a distinct walking pattern. Alongside the massive sauropod prints, smaller three-toed footprints likely belonging to Megalosaurus, a two-legged carnivore up to nine metres long, were also uncovered.

Dr Nicholls described the site as one of the most spectacular in the UK. “Even after 20 years as a palaeontologist, it still gives you that tingling feeling to see these footprints,” she said. “It’s humbling.”

What have scientists learnt from the footprints?
Professor Falkingham recreated a 3D model of the sauropod’s walk. He found that the dinosaur moved at about two metres per second, similar to a brisk human walk. One footprint appeared slightly out of line, suggesting the dinosaur might have paused or slipped briefly. “Maybe it heard something and turned to check it was safe,” Falkingham told the BBC.

Meanwhile, Oxford researcher Duncan Murdock examined small fossils found in the same area, including shells, sea urchins, and belemnites. These marine remains show that Jurassic Oxfordshire once lay beneath shallow seas, resembling the modern-day Bahamas or Florida Keys.

What’s next for researchers?
Scientists say the site could offer clues about dinosaur behaviour, movement, and habitat during the Middle Jurassic period. The footprints may help determine whether the animals walked alone, in herds, or were being hunted.

What do past discoveries reveal?
The Oxfordshire quarry has long fascinated palaeontologists. In recent years, quarry workers found hundreds of clawed footprints and sunken tracks belonging to both herbivores and carnivores. A 2023 visit by researchers from Oxford and Birmingham universities revealed three-toed prints of Megalosaurus and large impressions of a sauropod’s feet.

Since 1997, more than 40 sets of tracks have been discovered by scientists across 200 yards of pathways, so the site has been given the moniker "dinosaur highway." While work continues, the Oxfordshire quarry is still one of Britain's greatest windows into its Jurassic past.