Science - Amateur researcher discovers 200 million year old dinosaur track

Penarth (AP) – A nearly 50-meter-long trace of an early dinosaur relative on a Welsh coastline has excited British scientists.

The Natural History Museum in London tweeted, “Prints suggest large, long-necked dinosaurs lived in the area 200 million years ago. They were probably representatives of Sauropodomorpha. The famous genus Diplodocus also belongs to this group. Hobby researcher Keri Rees discovered the tracks at Penarth Beach near Cardiff in 2020, it said.

Museum expert Susannah Madment said she was skeptical at first. But after detailed investigation, he and his colleague Paul Barrett are of the opinion that there are traces of the Triassic period, which is about 200 to 250 million years ago. Barrett said the print indicated a walking animal. There are also many places where mud has been thrown. “These formations are characterized by active movement in soft ground.” Impressions are documented with the help of 3D images.

The scientists have published their findings in the journal “Geological Journal.”