A dinosaur trackway from the Purbeck Beds of Swanage, England

Abstract

During 1962 a dinosaur trackway was unearthed in a quarry of Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous building-stone at Langton Maltravers near Swanage. The primary tracks had been removed initially but secondary impressions were still visible and these were marked with black paint. It was concluded that the prints were made by a tridactyl bipedal species of dinosaur, probably of megalosaurian type. A quantity of overburden covered part of the trackway and it was arranged for this to be removed so that the primary tracks could be collected. The trackway, which was 22 metres long as preserved, showed a somewhat sinuous gait of a true biped with no tail-drag and only occasional evidence of what may have been front foot impressions. Two individuals had made the footprints, walking on a similar course about one metre apart. The tracks of these two were collected, as was a third trackway which went off at an angle to the right. Above the stratum containing the prints was another layer which contained prints of an undoubted iguanodontid type.