These dinosaur footprints are well over 200 million years old

En observing these pictures sent by an amateur paleontologist, scientists at the Museum of Natural History in London were initially doubtful. Taken in 2020, these photos show curious footprints in the rock of a beach in Penarth, Wales (United Kingdom). Could it be simple cracks in the ground or a much more exceptional discovery? To be clear, a team from the English museum went there, CNN reported on Sunday, January 2.

Result: these footprints, dating back more than 200 million years, would indeed come from a dinosaur from the Triassic period. The footprints apparently belong to a congener of the sauropod family, huge herbivorous four-legged land creatures. “The footprints are spaced out, which suggests the walking of an animal. We also saw some displacement contours where the mud had been pushed up. These structures are characteristic of active movement through loose soil, ”said Professor Paul Barrett, paleontologist at the Museum of Natural History in London, in a statement relayed by CNN.

A series of tracks on a public beach point to the presence of large, long-necked dinosaurs in Wales over 200 million years ago.
The Penarth footprints are believed to have been left by sauropodomorphs, a group which includes the iconic Diplodocus https://t.co/i4ef9WM8jk

– Natural History Museum (@NHM_London) December 31, 2021

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A rare kind of fingerprints

This discovery will allow scientists to learn more about the behavior of dinosaurs from this period, in particular their way of walking and traveling in herds. Such imprints have not often been identified around the globe, which makes the study of the Museum of Natural History all the more exceptional. “These types of traces are not particularly widespread in the world, so it is an interesting addition to our knowledge of Triassic life in the United Kingdom,” said Professor Paul Barrett when announcing this find. According to the museum, the famous footprints will remain visible until they naturally fade over the tides.