Massive Footprints in Scotland Reveal Giant Dinosaurs Liked Wetting Their Feet

Fossil dinosaur tracks may give researchers insight into the lives of prehistoric giants. The researchers are taking a closer look at these tracks to better understand these massive animals.

In this case, the researchers are looking at hundreds of footprints and handprints that were made by plant-eating sauropods about 170 million years ago on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. This collection of prints is on the biggest dinosaur yet found in Scotland, and helps fill an important gap in the evolution of massive, long-necked dinosaurs.

The researchers analyzed the structure of the footprints, which revealed that the dinosaurs were early, distant relatives of well-known species, such as the Brontosaurus and Diplodocus. The dinosaurs on the Isle of Skye likely grew to at least 15 meters in length and weighed more than 10 tons.

"The new tracksite from Skye is one of the most remarkable dinosaur discoveries ever made in Scotland," said Steve Brusatte, one of the researchers, in a news release. "There are so many tracks crossing each other that it looks like a dinosaur disco preserved in stone. By following the tracks you can walk these dinosaurs as they waded through a lagoon 170 million years ago, when Scotland was much warmer than today."

The findings reveal a bit more about these massive dinosaurs. It shows that these sauropods spent lots of time in coastal areas and shallow water, which contradicts the previous assumption that they were purely land-dwellers.

The findings are published in the Scottish Journal of Geology.

33824, 33709

Related Stories

Horned Dinosaur Fossil from 'Lost Continent' Identified

Eggshell Porosity Reveals Type of Nest Built by Archosaurs

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).