A stunning discovery in an Oxfordshire quarry has opened a rare window into the world of dinosaurs that roamed Britain 166 million years ago. According to a new report captured by the BBC and studied by scientists from several UK universities, one of the world’s longest dinosaur trackways has been uncovered at Dewars Farm Quarry. Hidden beneath layers of limestone, these ancient footprints reveal the movements of colossal sauropods and other Jurassic creatures that once walked across a tropical landscape where Oxfordshire now stands. This extraordinary find offers scientists a direct connection to prehistoric life, shedding new light on how these mighty animals lived, travelled, and interacted.
A Jurassic giant’s footprints emerge from an Oxfordshire quarry
The excavation at Dewars Farm Quarry, near Banbury, has revealed a trackway stretching an incredible 220 metres, making it one of the longest continuous sequences of dinosaur footprints ever recorded. The site has been known for its fossil finds since the 1990s, but this year’s dig has surpassed all previous discoveries. Led by palaeontologists including Emma Nicholls from Oxford University Museum of Natural History and Kirsty Edgar from the University of Birmingham, the team uncovered massive impressions believed to belong to a sauropod dinosaur, probably Cetiosaurus.
These enormous, four-legged, long-necked herbivores could reach up to 18 metres in length and would have towered above their Jurassic landscape. The sheer size of their footprints, each large enough for a human to stand in, illustrates just how gigantic these creatures were. Alongside the sauropod tracks, scientists also identified smaller, three-toed prints from a carnivorous dinosaur called Megalosaurus, a predator that once prowled the same terrain.
Dinosaur footprints reveal the way giants once walked: Prehistoric movement and behaviour
Unlike bones and skeletons, which show anatomy, footprints capture moments of life in motion. Researchers such as Dr Peter Falkingham from Liverpool John Moores University have used these impressions to recreate three-dimensional models of the dinosaurs’ movements. Through digital reconstruction, scientists estimate that the sauropod moved at a leisurely pace of about two metres per second—the speed of a brisk human walk.
One particularly fascinating footprint stands out among hundreds of others. It is slightly misaligned, suggesting that the dinosaur momentarily paused—perhaps slipping in the soft mud or briefly turning its head after sensing movement. Then, as calmly as it had stopped, it continued its slow journey across what was once a shallow coastal plain. Such tiny variations preserve a vivid moment from 166 million years ago, providing scientists with a unique snapshot of real behaviour rather than abstract theory.
This makes such discoveries invaluable for understanding not just how these creatures looked, but how they lived and interacted with their environment.
Goldilocks effect: The rare conditions that preserved Oxfordshire’s dinosaur trail
Preserving footprints for millions of years requires what scientists call the “Goldilocks effect”—conditions that are just right. When the sauropods and Megalosaurus walked across the soft mud, their feet pressed deep into the ground. The tropical sun then baked the surface, hardening the impressions before they were rapidly buried by a new layer of sediment—possibly from a flood or storm. Over time, these layers turned into limestone, sealing the tracks until quarry workers and palaeontologists uncovered them again.
Professor Kirsty Edgar explains, “You need the sediment to be of the right consistency, the right type, and in the right environment to make the footprints.”
Such a perfect sequence of events is extremely rare. Too much water would have washed the prints away, and too little would have prevented their formation. The preservation of hundreds of prints across multiple layers means that Oxfordshire’s quarry provides one of the most complete examples of dinosaur trackways in the world. It allows scientists to compare the movements of multiple individuals and even speculate on whether they travelled in groups, interacted, or followed similar routes across the landscape.
Fossils from Oxfordshire reveal a tropical world long gone
Back in the Jurassic period, the world looked dramatically different. The tectonic plates were positioned so that what is now the United Kingdom lay much closer to the equator. Oxfordshire was submerged beneath a warm, shallow sea fringed by lagoons and sandbanks, resembling modern-day tropical regions such as the Bahamas.
At the quarry, palaeontologist Duncan Murdock from Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History has identified fossilised remains of marine life—including tiny seashells, belemnites (squid-like animals), and sea urchins—alongside the dinosaur prints. These smaller fossils paint a picture of a lively ecosystem where massive dinosaurs shared space with thriving marine creatures.
The Dewars Farm discovery underscores the continuing importance of British fossil sites in understanding prehistoric ecosystems. For scientists like Emma Nicholls, even after decades of research, the excitement remains undiminished. The site serves as a reminder that beneath ordinary landscapes lie extraordinary histories—stories of giant creatures that once left their mark on a very different world, preserved for millions of years in the rocks beneath our feet.
Also Read | 190-million-year-old sea dragon with a sword for a nose discovered on the Jurassic Coast
A Jurassic giant’s footprints emerge from an Oxfordshire quarry
The excavation at Dewars Farm Quarry, near Banbury, has revealed a trackway stretching an incredible 220 metres, making it one of the longest continuous sequences of dinosaur footprints ever recorded. The site has been known for its fossil finds since the 1990s, but this year’s dig has surpassed all previous discoveries. Led by palaeontologists including Emma Nicholls from Oxford University Museum of Natural History and Kirsty Edgar from the University of Birmingham, the team uncovered massive impressions believed to belong to a sauropod dinosaur, probably Cetiosaurus.
These enormous, four-legged, long-necked herbivores could reach up to 18 metres in length and would have towered above their Jurassic landscape. The sheer size of their footprints, each large enough for a human to stand in, illustrates just how gigantic these creatures were. Alongside the sauropod tracks, scientists also identified smaller, three-toed prints from a carnivorous dinosaur called Megalosaurus, a predator that once prowled the same terrain.
Dinosaur footprints reveal the way giants once walked: Prehistoric movement and behaviour
Unlike bones and skeletons, which show anatomy, footprints capture moments of life in motion. Researchers such as Dr Peter Falkingham from Liverpool John Moores University have used these impressions to recreate three-dimensional models of the dinosaurs’ movements. Through digital reconstruction, scientists estimate that the sauropod moved at a leisurely pace of about two metres per second—the speed of a brisk human walk.
One particularly fascinating footprint stands out among hundreds of others. It is slightly misaligned, suggesting that the dinosaur momentarily paused—perhaps slipping in the soft mud or briefly turning its head after sensing movement. Then, as calmly as it had stopped, it continued its slow journey across what was once a shallow coastal plain. Such tiny variations preserve a vivid moment from 166 million years ago, providing scientists with a unique snapshot of real behaviour rather than abstract theory.
This makes such discoveries invaluable for understanding not just how these creatures looked, but how they lived and interacted with their environment.
Goldilocks effect: The rare conditions that preserved Oxfordshire’s dinosaur trail
Preserving footprints for millions of years requires what scientists call the “Goldilocks effect”—conditions that are just right. When the sauropods and Megalosaurus walked across the soft mud, their feet pressed deep into the ground. The tropical sun then baked the surface, hardening the impressions before they were rapidly buried by a new layer of sediment—possibly from a flood or storm. Over time, these layers turned into limestone, sealing the tracks until quarry workers and palaeontologists uncovered them again.
Professor Kirsty Edgar explains, “You need the sediment to be of the right consistency, the right type, and in the right environment to make the footprints.”
Such a perfect sequence of events is extremely rare. Too much water would have washed the prints away, and too little would have prevented their formation. The preservation of hundreds of prints across multiple layers means that Oxfordshire’s quarry provides one of the most complete examples of dinosaur trackways in the world. It allows scientists to compare the movements of multiple individuals and even speculate on whether they travelled in groups, interacted, or followed similar routes across the landscape.
Fossils from Oxfordshire reveal a tropical world long gone
Back in the Jurassic period, the world looked dramatically different. The tectonic plates were positioned so that what is now the United Kingdom lay much closer to the equator. Oxfordshire was submerged beneath a warm, shallow sea fringed by lagoons and sandbanks, resembling modern-day tropical regions such as the Bahamas.
At the quarry, palaeontologist Duncan Murdock from Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History has identified fossilised remains of marine life—including tiny seashells, belemnites (squid-like animals), and sea urchins—alongside the dinosaur prints. These smaller fossils paint a picture of a lively ecosystem where massive dinosaurs shared space with thriving marine creatures.
The Dewars Farm discovery underscores the continuing importance of British fossil sites in understanding prehistoric ecosystems. For scientists like Emma Nicholls, even after decades of research, the excitement remains undiminished. The site serves as a reminder that beneath ordinary landscapes lie extraordinary histories—stories of giant creatures that once left their mark on a very different world, preserved for millions of years in the rocks beneath our feet.
Also Read | 190-million-year-old sea dragon with a sword for a nose discovered on the Jurassic Coast
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