Archaeologists have made an incredible discovery, revealing dinosaur highway tracks dating back 166 million years in England. The fossilized footprints, believed to have been made by several large Sauropod dinosaurs, illuminate the natural world of these ancient creatures and provide a rare glimpse into their daily lives.
The extensive and winding pathway, stretching over a length of several kilometers, is located in the picturesque landscape of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England. The expert team, led by the renowned University of Southampton’s Dr. Neil Davies, embarked on an ambitious journey less than two years ago to decipher the secrets of these ancient highways.
In a region known primarily for its abundant marine fossil sites, the discovery of these dinosaur trackways is truly remarkable. The exact geologic context of the tracks remains under investigation, but they appear to have been formed by a variety of large, four-legged, herbivorous dinosaurs known as Sauropods – the same group to which long-necked terror birds like Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus belong.
Sauropods numbered in the thousands, and their concentration in this region spanned a considerable period of time, leaving behind a treasure trove of clues about their behavior, movement, and interactions with one another during the Jurassic period.
The tracks vary in depth from just a few millimeters to over 50 cm (20 inches) deep in the limestone rock, an indication of the varying weight of the dinosaurs making the impressions. This rather broad range of footprints suggests not only an array of different individual Sauropod weights, but also their various behaviors, including, possibly, the less active and, possibly, more active members within a single population.
Using a meticulous combination of digital modeling and laser scanning, lead researcher Dr. Neil Davies and his team have carefully collected and preserved the newly discovered footprints. They have also created an open access 3D model of the site’s best trackway, allowing other researchers and students worldwide to delve deeply into the fascinating mystery of its origins.
The remarkable preservation and extent of these tracks also provide a unique window into the landscape and ecosystem of the Jurassic era, a world once populated by a myriad of creatures that now exist only in history and research.
The light shed on these ancient tracks could deepen our understanding of the role that social behavior played in Sauropod dinosaur society and even potentially help piece together their complex family structures, which have eluded researchers for ages. The secrets of these dinosaur highways may even illuminate new questions about how regional ecosystems functioned millions of years ago.
