‘Jurassic giant’ dinosaur footprint found on Yorkshire coast
Expert thinks footprint could belong to Megalosaurus
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A dinosaur footprint that belonged to a “real Jurassic giant” has been discovered on the Yorkshire coast.
It is thought to be the largest dinosaur footprint ever found in the region and was discovered by archaeologist Marie Woods.
She said: “I was grabbing some shellfish for dinner. I didn’t collect much after seeing that.”
Experts think the three-toed print was left by a large meat-eating dinosaur with a possible body length of eight to nine metres.
Following her discovery, at a location which is being kept secret, Ms Woods contacted specialists including palaeontologist Dr Dean Lomax, the author of Dinosaurs of the British Isles.
Dr Lomax said Ms Woods’s discovery turned out to be a rediscovery, as it had been partially spotted by fossil collector Rob Taylor back in November 2020.
Despite Mr Taylor posting pictures of his find in a Facebook group dedicated to fossils from Yorkshire, the fossil was not yet fully exposed and nobody had realised its true importance.
Dr Lomax, who grew up hunting for fossils on the Yorkshire coast and has written extensively on dinosaur finds, said: “This is the largest theropod footprint ever found in Yorkshire, made by a large meat-eating dinosaur.
“We know this because the shape and three-toed track, along with the impression of the claws, are absolutely spot-on for having been made by a large theropod that probably had a hip height of about 2.4 metres and possible body length approaching eight to nine metres - so a real Jurassic giant.
“We can never be certain of exactly what species made it, but the footprint type would match the likes of a dinosaur found in Britain and called Megalosaurus, which lived at roughly the same time this footprint was created, during the Middle Jurassic.”
He added: “Yorkshire’s coast is world renowned for its dinosaur tracks, primarily through research by Dr Mike Romano and Dr Martin Whyte, who spent around 20 years researching and discovering hundreds [to] thousands of tracks.”
Dr Lomax said: “I’m very grateful that he (Rob Taylor) and Marie have made this discovery, and hope that the specimen can be rescued for science.
“It will definitely make for a wonderful study and would look amazing on display, for the public to enjoy.”
Local fossil specialist John Hudson, who found the previous largest specimen in 2006, helped Ms Woods with taking measurements of her find.
Additional reporting by PA
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments