Massive dinosaur footprint found in UK's Yorkshire
The footprint that was discovered was probably left by a massive carnivore, like a Megalosaurus, according to researchers who examined it.
A nearly meter-long (3.3 feet) footprint of a large (probably a carnivorous) dinosaur that emerged in Burniston Bay near the town of Scarborough, on what is referred to as the UK's "dinosaur coast," has sparked excitement among paleontologists all over the world.
The town's Rotunda Museum will house the footprint, which is thought to be the largest of its kind in the region.
The footprint was discovered in April 2021 by local researcher Marie Woods, as reported by American broadcaster CNN.
“I had to do a double-take because I couldn't believe what I was looking at. While out with friends, I've seen a few smaller prints, but nothing like this," she said. Woods stated to a local news station, "I can no longer say that archaeologists don't like dinosaurs."
She contacted local fossil experts, but none were familiar with the trail she was describing. The palaeontologist and honorary visiting scientist at the University of Manchester, Dr. Dean Lomax, was then contacted. Lomax, who co-authored a study with Woods that was published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, said, "Marie contacted me while she was down on the beach, with the fossil in front of her."
Lomax is also the author of 'Dinosaurs of the British Isles'.
The footprint that Woods discovered was probably left by a massive carnivore, like a Megalosaurus, according to researchers who examined it. According to Lomax, the manner in which the claws penetrated the ground and the shape of the print indicate that it was sitting or squatting prior to standing up.
"The most fascinating aspect of our footprint is a long section that has been preserved at the back of the foot. It is an impression of the metapodium, which we call it. It could imply that our large meat-eater was squatting in the mud before getting up and leaving."
The discovery, according to local geologist John Hudson, provides additional evidence that carnivorous dinosaurs roamed this part of the world during the Jurassic period.
If the print belongs to the Megalosaurus, it was one of the largest predators of its time. The CNN report added that it had a large skull with teeth that were sharp and serrated, and that its body was between eight and nine meters (26 and 29 feet) long.
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