Imagine walking in the footsteps of giants—literally. In the heart of Oxfordshire, UK, a staggering 166-million-year-old secret has been unearthed: the longest dinosaur trackway in Europe, stretching an astonishing 220 meters (722 feet). But here’s where it gets even more fascinating—these tracks were left by a single sauropod, a long-necked herbivore that once roamed what is now known as the ‘dinosaur highway.’ This discovery, made at Dewars Farm near Bicester, isn’t just a scientific marvel; it’s a window into a world where dinosaurs like the iconic Megalosaurus—the first dinosaur ever named—once thrived during the Middle Jurassic Period. And this is the part most people miss: these footprints were first spotted by a quarry worker who noticed ‘unusual bumps’ beneath the clay surface, leading to one of the most significant collections of dinosaur tracks in the world.
The excavation, featured on BBC Two’s Digging For Britain, brought together over 100 scientists and enthusiasts co-led by the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) and the University of Birmingham. Despite battling scorching heat that turned the ground nearly as hard as concrete, the team uncovered hundreds of new footprints, including a breathtaking trackway of 1-meter-long prints stretching from north to south across the site. But here’s the controversial part: while this is Europe’s longest sauropod trackway, the world’s longest is in the United States—leaving us to wonder why such massive creatures seemed to favor certain regions.
Among the discoveries were not just dinosaur tracks but also fossils of marine invertebrates, plants, and even a crocodile jaw, painting a vivid picture of a bustling prehistoric ecosystem. Dr. Duncan Murdock, an Earth Scientist at OUMNH, highlighted the sheer scale of the find: ‘We now have evidence of tens of individuals moving through this area, perhaps as a herd.’ This raises a thought-provoking question: Could these tracks suggest social behavior in sauropods, or were they simply following a well-trodden path?
While the 2025 dig faced challenges due to extreme weather, it’s clear that Oxfordshire’s dinosaur highway still holds countless secrets. As scientists continue to piece together this ancient puzzle, one thing is certain: the story of these giants is far from over. What do you think? Could this site rewrite what we know about dinosaur behavior, or is it just another piece of the puzzle? Let us know in the comments!
