A remarkable and extensive series of dinosaur tracks have been uncovered by researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Birmingham. The location (Dewars Farm Quarry) reveals a series of trackways that date back to the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian faunal stage). The scientists have uncovered multiple, lengthy trackways that form part of a huge “dinosaur highway”. The quarry floor is covered by hundreds of dinosaur footprints.
Theropod tracks have been recorded. These have been tentatively assigned to Megalosaurus. Some of these three-toed prints indicate the presence of nine-metre-long carnivorous dinosaurs. Sauropod tracks have also been found. The sauropod tracks have been tentatively assigned to Cetiosaurus. Cetiosaurus was the first sauropod dinosaur to be scientifically described (Owen 1841). Some of the tracks indicate the presence of sauropods around eighteen metres in length.
The Dewars Farm Quarry excavation work taking place in June 2024. Picture credit: the University of Birmingham.
Picture credit: the University of Birmingham
The Remarkable Dewars Farm Quarry Dinosaur Tracks
This remarkable trace fossil site will be featured in a BBC television programme (Digging for Britain). It will be broadcast on BBC Two on January the 8th. A new public exhibition entitled “Breaking Ground” will be opening shortly at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH). This exhibition will highlight the importance of the research into these dinosaur trackways.
A trio of fieldworkers excavating a dinosaur track. Picture credit: Caroline Wood (University of Oxford).
Picture credit: Caroline Wood (University of Oxford)
The site records the tracks made by dinosaurs as they crossed a wide lagoon. These extraordinary trace fossils offer a window into the lives of Middle Jurassic dinosaurs. A snapshot revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment that they inhabited.
The excavations were carried out at the Dewars Farm Quarry (Oxfordshire). Five extensive trackways were uncovered, although there are probably many more prints and tracks in this area. The longest continuous trackway measures over one hundred and fifty metres in length. Four of these trackways were made by sauropods. The fifth set of prints were made by a theropod.
Sauropod track SE38 picture credit: Dr Luke Meade University of Birmingham.
Picture credit: Dr Luke Meade University of Birmingham
Theropod and Sauropod Tracks Interacting
One area of the quarry preserves theropod and sauropod tracks crossing over. This raises intriguing questions about whether and how these two dinosaurs were interacting.
Intersection of theropod and sauropod tracks. The theropod track is (left) with the deeper and larger sauropod behind it (right). Picture credit: Dr Luke Meade University of Birmingham.
Picture credit: Dr Luke Meade University of Birmingham
Vertebrate palaeontologist Dr Emma Nicholls (OUMNH), commented:
“Scientists have known about and been studying Megalosaurus for longer than any other dinosaur on Earth, and yet these recent discoveries prove there is still new evidence of these animals out there, waiting to be found.”
The tracks were buried under mud and came to light when quarry worker Gary Johnson felt “unusual bumps” as he was stripping the clay back with an excavator in order to expose the quarry’s limestone floor. When the significance of the discovery was confirmed, experts were invited to the site to explore and map the trace fossils. The Universities of Oxford and Birmingham collaborated on this research project. A team of more than a hundred people worked at the site on a week-long excavation in June 2024. The scientists thanked the staff at Dewars Farm Quarry and Duns Tew Quarry for their help with this project.
An aerial view of the dinosaur track site taken on the 22nd June 2024. Picture credit: University of Birmingham.
Picture credit: University of Birmingham
Drone Photography and Three-dimensional Footprint Models
The week-long excavation revealed around two hundred dinosaur footprints. The researchers used aerial drone photography to document the site and map the location of the tracks. Computer modelling was employed to create sophisticated three-dimensional prints. In addition, colour depth models of prints were made providing further insight into the tracks and the substrate.
A colour depth computerised image showing a theropod and sauropod track intersecting. Picture credit: Dr Luke Meade University of Birmingham.
Picture credit: Dr Luke Meade University of Birmingham
Professor of Micropalaeontology at the University of Birmingham, Kirsty Edgar explained:
“These footprints offer an extraordinary window into the lives of dinosaurs, revealing details about their movements, interactions, and the tropical environment they inhabited.”
The scientists acknowledged the assistance of Duns Tew Quarry Manager Mark Stanway and his staff. They were invaluable in providing both local expertise and operating specialist equipment such as excavators and rock saws.
Oxfordshire Dinosaur Tracks
These are not the first dinosaur tracks to have been found in Oxfordshire. They connect to discoveries made in the area in 1997, where previous limestone quarrying revealed more than forty sets of dinosaur footprints. Some of these trackways are up to one hundred and eighty metres long. At the time, these tracks provided new information on the type of dinosaurs living in the area during the Middle Jurassic.
The Ardley dinosaur tracks discovered in the 1990s. Picture credit: Professor Paul Barrett.
Picture credit: Professor Paul Barrett
The location was recognised as one of the most scientifically important dinosaur track sites in the world. It was subsequently designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. However, the original site is largely no longer accessible and, since the findings predated the use of digital cameras and drones, there is limited photographic evidence. The newly discovered dinosaur tracks demonstrate the importance of this location. Even though the discoveries are separated by just thirty years, modern techniques and technology mean the prints can be recorded much more comprehensively than ever before.
Commenting on the importance of this research, Professor Richard Butler (University of Birmingham), stated:
“There is much more that we can learn from this site, which is an important part of our national Earth heritage. Our 3D models will allow researchers to continue to study and make accessible this fascinating piece of our past for generations to come.”
Documenting the Dinosaur Tracks
During the study, more than twenty thousand images of the dinosaur tracks were created. These images will provide a wealth of new data and can help provide answers to questions about dinosaur locomotion, velocity and how they interacted.
Dr Duncan Murdock, Earth Scientist at OUMNH, added:
“The preservation is so detailed that we can see how the mud was deformed as the dinosaur’s feet squelched in and out. Along with other fossils like burrows, shells and plants we can bring to life the muddy lagoon environment the dinosaurs walked through.”
An artist’s reconstruction of the Dewars Farm Quarry site 166 million years ago. A Megalosaurus follows an adult Cetiosaurus with a second sauropod in the background whilst pterosaurs soar overhead. Picture credit: Mark Witton.
Picture credit: Mark Witton
The excavation was funded by the Geologists’ Association, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham, and the University of Birmingham Alumni Fund.
A replica of the first “dinosaur” to be scientifically described, the CollectA Megalosaurus in ambush figure. This dinosaur was named before the term “Dinosauria” had been coined. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The picture (above) shows a replica of a Megalosaurus (M. bucklandii). This is a modern interpretation of this iconic theropod dinosaur. It was introduced by CollectA in 2021, and the figure is part of the Age of Dinosaurs Popular range.
To view the range of CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular models in stock: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Figures.
Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the University of Birmingham in the compilation of this article.
The award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Models.
