Major dinosaur footprint discovery expands Britain’s Jurassic trackways

Researchers uncover hundreds of dinosaur footprints in Oxfordshire, revealing new insights into Jurassic life.

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Researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham have discovered hundreds of dinosaur footprints at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, expanding the known "dinosaur highway" from the Middle Jurassic Period, approximately 166 million years ago.

Photo: Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

The find includes multiple trackways, with some measuring more than 150 meters in length. Among the footprints are those of the 9-meter-long predator Megalosaurus and large, herbivorous sauropods, likely Cetiosaurus, which grew up to 18 meters long.

Photo: University of Birmingham

The discovery was made when quarry worker Gary Johnson noticed unusual bumps in the quarry floor while stripping clay.

The team, which included over 100 people, conducted a week-long excavation in June 2024, uncovering around 200 footprints and creating detailed 3D models of the site using drone photography.

This research will help scientists better understand dinosaur movement, interactions, and the environment they lived in.

The new trackways build on findings from 1997, which revealed over 40 sets of footprints, some extending to 180 meters in length. The original site, now less accessible, was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its significance.

Modern technologies, such as drones and digital imaging, have enabled a more comprehensive study of the footprints compared to earlier research.

The findings will be featured on BBC’s Digging for Britain, with the program airing on 8 January 2025, and in the Breaking Ground exhibition at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

The excavation was funded by the Geologists’ Association, University of Birmingham's School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and the University of Birmingham Alumni Fund.