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131 Dinosaur Footprints Unearthed on Isle of Skye Reveal Jurassic Life

New research published today details a rare collection of tracks from herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs, offering insights into their behavior and environment 167 million years ago.

This illustration shows a meat-eating dinosaur (right) from the dinosaur family called megalosaurs and a plant-eating dinosaur (left) from a dinosaur clade called sauropods mingling at a shallow freshwater lagoon environment on Scotland's Isle of Skye about 167 million years ago during the Jurassic Period. Tone Blakesley and Scott Reid/Handout via REUTERS
A pair of fossilized footprints left by meat-eating dinosaurs from the dinosaur family called megalosaurs are seen at Prince Charles Point on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, in this undated photo released on April 2, 2025. Paige E. de Polo/Handout via REUTERS
A 167-million-year-old dinosaur trackway at Prince Charles’s Point on the Isle of Skye. Image credit: Blakesley et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319862.
Dinosaur footprints dating back about 167 million years have been discovered on Skye

Overview

  • Scientists have identified 131 dinosaur footprints at Prince Charles’s Point on the Isle of Skye, dating back to the middle Jurassic period.
  • The footprints, preserved in a subtropical lagoonal environment, provide a snapshot of dinosaur behavior and interactions, including coexistence at watering holes.
  • The tracks include theropod footprints, likely from megalosaurs, and sauropod tracks from large plant-eating dinosaurs like Cetiosaurus.
  • Advanced photogrammetry techniques, including drone imaging, were used to create 3D models of the tracks for detailed analysis.
  • The discovery fills a gap in the fossil record and highlights the intersection of Scottish history and prehistory, as the site is also linked to Bonnie Prince Charlie’s escape in 1746.