London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Sep 14, 2025

Dinosaur footprints discovered on South Wales beach date back 200 million years, experts believe

Dinosaur footprints discovered on South Wales beach date back 200 million years, experts believe

The tracks were discovered last year on a beach in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, and reported to the Natural History Museum where palaeontologists carried out an investigation.

Footprints of an early relative of a dinosaur have been discovered on a South Wales beach from more than 200 million years ago, according to experts.

Natural History Museum palaeontologists believe the footprints, known as a trackway, were left by a very early sauropod or a prosauropod dating from the Triassic period.

The impressions were discovered on a beach in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, in 2020 by amateur palaeontologist Kerry Rees, who reported the find to the Natural History Museum.

Initially sceptical of the report, Dr Susannah Maidment and Professor Paul Barrett carried out an investigation and now believe the footprints are from an early relative of a dinosaur.

The footprints could have been made over 200 million years ago by an early relative of a dinosaur, experts believe


Dr Maidment said: "We get a lot of inquiries from members of the public for things that could be trackways but many are geological features that can easily be mistaken for them.

"However, from the photographs, we thought they were a fairly good contender for something that could be tracks and that it would be worth taking a look."

Prof Barrett said: "We believed the impressions we saw at Penarth were consistently spaced to suggest an animal walking.

"We also saw displacement rims where mud had been pushed up. These structures are characteristic of active movement through the soft ground."

Toe marks were not clearly visible in the impressions, which are typically the tell-tale sign of an animal footprint.

But a survey of the site in Penarth from 10 years ago included photographs that showed features like toe impressions due to less weathering.

This suggested the identity of the animal that made them, along with further evidence that the impressions were in fact footprints.

Palaeontologists now believe the impressions are an example of eosauropus - which is a type of track thought to have been made by a very early sauropod or near sauropod-relative, the group of dinosaurs that later included the famous diplodocus.

Footprints found on the trackway on the beach in Penarth, South Wales, next to a 3D image of a footprint


Dr Maidment said: "We know early sauropods were living in Britain at the time, as bones of camelotia, a very early sauropod, have been found in Somerset in rocks dated to the same period.

"We don't know if this species was the track maker, but it is another clue which suggests something like it could have made these tracks."

Dinosaur trackways can reveal a wealth of behavioural information about an animal, as well as provide data on how they may have walked and their movement in herds.

Palaeontologists believe the footprints were most likely left by a very early sauropod or a prosauropod


Prof Barrett continued: "These types of tracks are not particularly common worldwide, so we believe this is an interesting addition to our knowledge of Triassic life in the UK.

"The record of Triassic dinosaurs in this country is fairly small, so anything we can find from the period adds to our picture of what was going on at that time."

The trackways found in Penarth have been documented for future study using 3D imaging techniques and will remain on the shore until the tide eventually erodes them away.

The findings have been published in the journal Geological Magazine.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
×