“Unearthing the Ancient: Stunning 166-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Highway Found in England!”

LONDON (AP) — An employee excavating clay in a limestone quarry in southern England observed peculiar protrusions that led to the uncovering of a “dinosaur highway” and close to 200 tracks dating back 166 million years, researchers disclosed on Thursday.

This remarkable discovery, made by a team of over 100 individuals as they dug at the Dewars Farm Quarry in Oxfordshire during June, enhances previous paleontological research conducted in the region and provides deeper insights into the Middle Jurassic epoch, according to scholars from Oxford and Birmingham universities.

“These imprints present an extraordinary glimpse into the existence of dinosaurs, uncovering details regarding their movements, interactions, and the tropical habitat they occupied,” stated Kirsty Edgar, a micropaleontology professor at Birmingham University.

Four of the track sets that form the so-called highway illustrate paths traversed by enormous, long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs known as sauropods, believed to be Cetiosaurus, a species that could reach nearly 60 feet (18 meters) in length. A fifth set belonged to the Megalosaurus, a fierce predator measuring 9 meters that left a distinctive triple-claw imprint and was the first dinosaur to be scientifically identified two centuries ago.

A section where the tracks intersect raises inquiries regarding potential encounters between carnivores and herbivores.

“Researchers have been aware of and studying Megalosaurus longer than any other dinosaur known to science, and yet these recent revelations show there is still new evidence of these creatures awaiting discovery,” commented Emma Nicholls, a vertebrate paleontologist at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Nearly three decades ago, 40 sets of footprints found within a limestone quarry in the vicinity were considered one of the globe’s most significant dinosaur track locations. However, that area has become largely inaccessible, and photographic evidence is limited as it predated the advent of digital cameras and drones for documenting such findings.

The collective that operated at the site this summer captured over 20,000 digital images and deployed drones to construct 3-D models of the imprints. This rich documentation will facilitate future investigations and may illuminate details regarding the size of the dinosaurs, their locomotion, and the velocity at which they moved.

“The preservation is so intricate that we can observe how the mud was altered as the dinosaur’s feet sunk in and out,” remarked Duncan Murdock, an earth scientist at the Oxford museum. “Along with additional fossils like burrows, shells, and vegetation, we can reconstruct the muddy lagoon ecosystem through which the dinosaurs traversed.”

The discoveries will be showcased in a new exhibition at the museum and will also be featured on the BBC’s “Digging for Britain” program next week.