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Dinosaur footprint find changes what we know about prehistoric beasts in the UK

An artist rendition of meat eating megalosaurs and plant eating sauropods mingling at a site on Prince Charles's Point on the Isle of Skye in 2021
An artist rendition of meat eating megalosaurs and plant eating sauropods mingling at a site on Prince Charles's Point on the Isle of Skye in 2021 (Tone Blakesley/Scott Reid/University of Edinburgh/PA Wire)
  • Newly identified Dinosaur footprints on the Isle of Skye reveal that meat-eating megalosaurs and plant-eating sauropods coexisted around freshwater lagoons 167 million years ago.
  • Analysis of 131 footprints at Prince Charles's Point suggests the dinosaurs congregated around the lagoon, similar to modern-day animal behavior at watering holes.
  • The footprints indicate that both predator and prey preferred the lagoon environment over drier mudflats.
  • The discovery makes the site one of the most extensive Dinosaur track sites in Scotland, with the potential for more finds.
  • The site's name, Prince Charles's Point, also marks a historical connection to Bonnie Prince Charlie's hideout in 1746.
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