The UK’s largest dinosaur trackway has been uncovered in a quarry in Oxfordshire, revealing a fascinating glimpse into the Jurassic past.
In an exceptional discovery, palaeontologists from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham have uncovered hundreds of dinosaur footprints at Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire.
The site, dating back 166 million years to the Middle Jurassic Period, reveals a “dinosaur highway” featuring the tracks of both herbivorous and carnivorous species, including the fearsome predator megalosaurus.
The excavation, completed in June 2024, uncovered five major trackways, with the longest stretching over 150 metres.
Four were created by sauropods, massive long-necked herbivores such as cetiosaurus, which could grow up to 18 metres long. The fifth trackway belongs to the megalosaurus, a nine-metre-long carnivorous theropod known for its clawed, three-toed footprints.
“Tracks give us that moment in time in the life of that animal. It tells us it was there, unlike a body fossil that can be moved around. It gives us that glimpse into what they were doing. But we can also figure out how big they were, how fast they were moving, how they were interacting with each other, and with the environment,” Professor Kirsty Edgar, a micro-palaeontologist from the University of Birmingham told Euronews Culture.
The footprints were first noticed by Gary Johnson, a quarry worker, who alerted researchers after spotting unusual marks in the clay. Over 100 scientists, volunteers, and quarry staff collaborated in a week-long excavation to uncover the 200 footprints.
Using aerial drones, 20,000 images were captured, and the research team created detailed 3D models of the site, ensuring a permanent digital record for research and public engagement.
Professor Kirsty Edgar highlights two key reasons why the discovery is so significant: “One of which is the size of the site. Most of the UK dinosaur track sites that you can go and visit today are on the coast and they’re very small. This is in a quarry, it’s huge. It’s definitely the UK’s largest dinosaur track site ever recorded and it’s one of the largest in the world.”
She adds: “Secondly, the discovery is also significant as 2024 marked the 200th anniversary of the scientific naming of dinosaurs. Megalosaurus, the first dinosaur ever named and described in 1824, was discovered in Oxfordshire. Finding tracks from that very animal in the quarry, so close to where it was originally described, creates a really nice synergy during its 200-year anniversary.”
The huge trackway find will form the centrepiece of “Breaking Ground”, a new exhibition at Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) running until 29 September 2025.
