Europe’s Longest Dinosaur Trackway Unearthed in Oxfordshire Quarry

Oxfordshire, UK — October 14, 2025:
A team of researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Birmingham has uncovered Europe’s longest dinosaur trackway at the Dewars Farm Quarry near Bicester. The discovery offers an extraordinary glimpse into the Middle Jurassic Period, dating back around 166 million years.

The newly identified trackway stretches an impressive 220 meters (722 feet), formed by a massive, long-necked sauropod dinosaur. This makes it the longest known sauropod trackway in Europe, and possibly one of the most extensive in the world.

Courtesy:THE NEWS

According to researchers, the site was once a muddy lagoon, where two main types of dinosaurs — Sauropods and Megalosaurus — roamed. The well-preserved footprints, some measuring up to one meter wide, reveal remarkable detail, even showing how the soft mud deformed under the dinosaurs’ weight as they moved.

The overlapping tracks provide rare clues about how these giant herbivores and carnivores might have shared the same environment. Alongside the dinosaur footprints, smaller fossils such as a crocodile jaw and marine shells were also unearthed, suggesting that the area once had a tropical coastal climate.

The discovery was first set in motion by Gary Johnson, a quarry worker who noticed unusual formations in the limestone while operating machinery. His observation led to a large-scale excavation involving more than 100 researchers and volunteers, unveiling one of the most significant fossil sites ever mapped in the UK.

This groundbreaking find not only sheds light on prehistoric life in Britain but also adds a vital piece to Europe’s Jurassic fossil record.