New Yorkshire Jurassic fossil find on ‘Dinosaur Coast’

The trace fossil from the Jurassic era was found by archaeologist Marie Woods on the foreshore near Scarborough.

The claw marks were laid down in muddy, wet conditions up to 175 million years ago in what is now North Yorkshire.

Ms Woods said of her discovery of a fossilised therapod – or three-toed dinoasaur: “I feel quite excited when I find something, I’m like a child when I do.

“I go out along coasts often and onto the beach and then it’s a case of trying to get your eye in.”

The archaeologist, who announced her new find on Twitter, said while the double print was smaller than last year’s discovery, it would still help scientific studies.

At the time the dinosaur’s feet were squashed into the mud for posterity, the land stretched out far further into the North Sea than it does now, Ms Woods said.

What is now the coast had possibly been a sort of wetland in the Jurassic era, where many ferns grew and which contained a river delta.

Last year’s bigger find was “quite significant” and papers on that trace fossil were due to be published soon, she said.

Ms Woods, a director of Heritage Adventures, said many other people had also found good fossils on that part of the North Yorkshire coast.

She said the area around Scarborough “could be called the Dinosaur Coast”.

About £2,000 was needed to properly preserve the trace fossil by getting an expert to carry out conservation similar to a “scientific 3D-jigsaw”, Ms Woods added.