A. 220 million years old a dinosaur footprint was found on a Welsh beach by a four – year – old girl, by scientists saying it could help us find out how they walked.
Lily Wilder saw the tweed at Bendricks Bay in Barry, Bro Glamorgan, earlier this month when she had been out walking with her father.
It is just over 10cm long and is thought to be from a 75cm high dinosaur – although it is impossible to tell what kind of creature it left behind.
Sally, Lily’s mother, said in a statement: “Lily and Richard (her father) found the footprint,” said her mother Sally.
“Lily saw him as they walked along and said ‘daddy look’. When Richard came home and showed me the picture, I thought he looked amazing.
“Richard thought it was too good to be true. I was impressed by experts who took him out of there.”
National Museum of Wales palaeontology Curator Cindy Wells said of the findings of Lily Wilder: “This fossil dinosaur footprint from 220 million years ago is one of the best preserved examples from anywhere in the UK and will greatly help palaeontologists to get a better idea of how these early dinosaurs walked. The museum gets it thanks to a big thank you to Lily and her family who first saw it.
“Throughout Covid’s pandemic from Amas Cymru has been highlighting the importance of nature on human doorsteps and this is a great example of this. Of course, we don’t all have dinosaur footprints on our doorstep but the richness of local nature for you. if you take the time to look close enough. “
The Bendricks are a stretch of coast between Barry and Sully in the City Glamorgan, and is considered an important paleontologist site and site of special scientific interest.
9 days agoThe southern group of the Geological Society has described it as’ the best site in Britain dinosaur trails of the Triassic Age ‘.
The footprint found by Lily is 220 million years old, after being preserved in mud.
According to the BBC, the dinosaur he left behind was described as a ‘slender animal’, which would have walked on two hind legs and hunted small animals or other insects.
Similar prints found in the United States are known to have been made by a dinosaur called the Coelophysis.
The National Museum of Wales said in a statement: “His remarkable retention may help scientists establish more about the true structure of the legs as the preservation is clear enough to reveal individual pedals and even claw ideas.”
Ben Evans, of the British Institute of Geological Conservation, said: “Working with Amomh Cymru – the National Museum of Wales has allowed this amazing sample to be safely recovered and returned along with other samples from this site. .
“This beach is a site of special scientific interest and whilst we encourage people to visit and use it sensibly, the collection of rocks, minerals and fossils will not be permitted from this site. BIGC, Amóid should be contacted. Cymru or Natural Resources Wales in the event of a new discovery. “