British motorists zooming down the M40 Motorway between London and Birmingham drive right past the fossilized footprints of Brachiosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, which traveled down a similar path at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour.
(Theropod trackway near the M40; Credit: Philip Powell)
(Part of the M40; Credit: Andrew Smith)
Yesterday, Natural England announced that the dinosaur footprints and tracks, which are at Ardley Trackways, near Bicester in Oxfordshire alongside the M40, will become England's newest geological conservation site. It's the first site to be designated as what the U.K. calls a "Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)," based on its geological features alone.
Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England, said, “Geological sites of this quality and importance are few and far between and we are delighted to give this important window on our past the protection that it so clearly deserves.”
A herd of Jurassic dinosaurs left behind the prints as they marched down an ancient shoreline, now next to the busy motorway, 165 million years ago. The biggest footprints belonged to enormous herbivores, like Brachiosaurus, while some of the other prints have been attributed to carnivorous dinosaurs.
(Image: Brachiosaurus; Credit: Богданов dmitrchel)
These particular dinosaur trackways "are otherwise unknown in England and are very rare internationally," according to the announcement.
Natural England hopes the new SSSI designation will protect the prints from damage caused by erosion and weather events. They plan to make them available to researchers for study, and my guess is that a public viewing area may also soon be in the works.
Phillips concluded: “As a Site of Special Scientific Interest, these unique dinosaur footprints now join the ranks of England’s most important wildlife and geological conservation sites. It is important that we continue to look after internationally valuable resources of this type and protect such fascinating insights into our ancient past”.
Tags: Dinosaurs, Extinct Animals, Middle and Late Jurassic Dinosaurs, Paleontology, Prehistoric Animals
comments ( )