A remarkable dinosaur footprint, estimated to be 127 million years old, was discovered on a UK beach following a rainstorm.
Joe Thompson, a 23-year-old fossil enthusiast, found the three-toed print on the Isle of Wight. The footprint, measuring about one meter in length, appeared after storms cleared away pebbles on the beach.
Joe, who recently graduated in paleontology from Bristol University, was searching for fossils on Shepherd’s Chine beach. After a couple of hours without success, he was feeling a bit disheartened.
“Just when I started to lose hope, I noticed one of the toes in the clay. I thought it might be a footprint, so I dug it out,” he said. What he uncovered was a significant footprint belonging to an Iguanodon.
“This footprint is higher in the sequence, which means it’s slightly younger than others found on the island. It likely belonged to a very large Iguanodon,” Joe added.
This discovery coincides with the 200th anniversary of the first scientific description of Iguanodon, which was published in 1825. This was based on the finds of geologist Dr. Gideon Mantell and his wife, Mary Ann, who discovered large dinosaur teeth in Sussex, England.
Iguanodons were massive herbivores, growing up to 10 meters long and weighing more than four tons. They typically traveled in groups of 20 to 30, walking on all fours but running on two legs. These dinosaurs grazed on smaller plants in their ecosystem.
“Iguanodons are fascinating creatures. Finding such a well-preserved footprint in this area is truly special,” Joe remarked.
As a guide for Wight Coast Fossils, Joe has also launched a new venture called South Coast Fossils, offering fossil walks near Highcliffe, Christchurch. He stated that the Isle of Wight is one of Europe’s prime locations for discovering dinosaur remains and footprints.
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Geology,UK,Discovery,Found,Dinosaurs,Paleontology
