A footprint can tell a story. During the Jurassic period, about 166 million years ago, a huge carnivorous dinosaur roamed what is now Yorkshire, England.
At some point, he may have crouched and then stood up, leaving behind a truly gigantic footprint.
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A team of researchers published a condition About the footprint in the proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society last Thursday (16).
The three-toed footprint measures 80cm long. It is the largest of its kind ever found in Yorkshire. The foot belonged to a carnivorous theropod, the most famous example of which is Tyrannosaurus rex.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, I had to look twice,” archaeologist Mary Woods said in a statement from the University of Manchester. “I’ve seen some smaller prints when I’ve been out with friends, but nothing like this.” Woods, who discovered the fossil by chance, is a co-author of the study.
The footprint is a rare find in Yorkshire, with only six similar footprints ever found in the area. Analysis of the print suggests the dinosaur was a type of megalosaurus, a large carnivore known to have roamed England during the Jurassic period. It would have been up to three metres (10 feet) tall at the hip.
Another co-author of the study, Dean Lomax of the University of Manchester, said analysis of the grip angle, shape and claw impressions showed the dinosaur may have been crouching before standing.
A single print makes it hard to know for sure what the dinosaur was doing. “It's fun to think that this dinosaur could have been wandering along a muddy coastal plain on a quiet Sunday afternoon in the Jurassic,” Lomax said.
The footprint was at risk of being damaged by erosion or tides, so experts collected it and transported it to Scarborough Museum and Galleries in the UK, where it is expected to go on display to the public once restoration work is complete.
With information from CNET
Featured Image: Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society
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