Just a few hundred meters from the hum of the M40, scientists have discovered a very different method.
Around 166 million years ago Britain’s ‘dinosaur highway’ is associated with giants and raptors moving across the country.
Researchers from the universities of Oxford and Birmingham they have uncovered a vast cavern filled with hundreds of different types of dinosaurs.
Scientists have discovered five of the largest dinosaur tracks in the UK, measuring up to 150m in length.
Four of these belong to long-necked herbivores – possibly Cetiosaurus, a cousin of the 18-metre long Diplodocus.
The fifth song was made by Megalosaurus, a fearsome nine-meter-long monster that. they ravaged the plains of Britain during the Middle Jurassic period.
These specially preserved tracks reveal surprising insights into the lives of long-extinct giants, even recording the moment two dinosaurs crossed paths.
And researchers say it’s ‘highly likely’ that there aren’t many songs to be found.
Scientists have discovered Britain’s ‘dinosaur highway’ where giant herbivores and carnivores would have passed 166 million years ago.
At Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire, archaeologists have found more than 200 dinosaur footprints in five different groups.
The tracks were found in the Jurassic rocks of Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire.
Originally buried under clay, the new tracks were first noticed by quarry worker Gary Johnson when he heard ‘strange bumps’ as he stripped away the clay to get to the ground.
Realizing the significance of the findings, experts were contacted and a full excavation of the site began.
In June last year, scientists and more than 100 volunteers painstakingly discovered the 200-foot remains.
In addition to making prints for further study, the researchers also took more than 20,000 photographs to create a complete 3D model of the site.
These findings are in line with previous findings in the area in 1997 when prehistoric limestones yielded more than 40 tracks from sauropods and theropods, a group of bipedal dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus Rex.
However, the site was buried before the use of digital cameras and drones so no 3D models of the tracks could be made.
This means that these recent discoveries are very important information about ancient ecosystems.
Four of the tracks belong to a long-necked sauropod, possibly the 18-meter-long Cetiosaurus (right). The last group was the Megalosaurus (left), a giant monster that grew to nine meters in length.
The tunnels extend 150 meters down the side of the limestone bed and were discovered when a worker noticed ‘strange bumps’ in the limestone.
About 166 million years ago, this area of limestone was formed Oxfordshire was a warm, shallow lake over a bed of mud.
Dr Duncan Murdock, an archeologist at the University of Oxford, told MailOnline: “When the feet of the huge animals weighing 10 tonnes went into the mud, they left both the footprint and the mud they left behind. .
‘Then it was flooded and covered with a lot of clay mud, keeping the footprints. In time, with further burials, this mud turned to stone.’
That thick mud has preserved such amazing detail that scientists can see how the mud was crushed as the dinosaurs’ feet struggled to get in and out.
‘Unlike fossilized bones, finds like this tell us about the behavior of extinct animals,’ says Dr Murdock.
‘The size, shape and position of the feet they can tell us how these dinosaurs moved, their size and their speed.’
Each three-toed track of Megalosaurus is about 65cm long and 2.7m wide.
Based on these measurements, scientists estimate that this ancient beast would have been running at about three miles per hour (five kilometers) – about the same speed as a human.
By looking at the size and distribution of footprints, scientists can determine how dinosaurs moved and how fast they ran at the time.
Megalosaurus (left) developed feet that are 65cm long and must have moved at about three kilometers per hour (five kilometers). The animal developed 90cm big feet (right) and is believed to have walked at the same speed as a human.
At some point along the way, archaeologists also discovered a place where the Megalosaurus and the sauropod crossed paths.
Based on the disturbance of the mud, scientists believe that this animal passed first, followed by Megalosaurus later.
Dr Murdock says: ‘Where the tracks cross we have a glimpse of the possible interactions between species as diverse as the carnivorous Megalosaurus and the giant herbivorous sauropods.’
And while the findings are already exciting, experts say there may be more to discover.
Professor Kirsty Edgar, a micropalaeontologist from the University of Birmingham, told MailOnline that it was ‘highly possible’ that more songs would be found.
He says: ‘When the animal moves on the surface it leaves a soft impression so (paths are) that are found around the river, on the seashore or on the seashore in many cases.’
Additionally, the Dewars Farm quarry is still working on removing the rock above the tracks which means there may be more to come as the Jurassic rocks are exposed.
Smiths Bletchington, the operators of the ruins, are working with Natural England to explore ways to preserve the site for the future.
