A routine beach walk turned into an extraordinary discovery for 10-year-old Tegan when she stumbled upon five enormous dinosaur footprints on the South Wales coast. The young fossil enthusiast, who was out for a stroll with her mother, Claire, near Lavernock Point, made the prehistoric find in the red siltstone—a spot already known for its rich geological history.
The footprints, spaced up to 75cm (30in) apart, have been identified by palaeontologists as likely belonging to a Camelotia, a large herbivorous dinosaur from the Late Triassic period over 200 million years ago. Cindy Howells, a curator at National Museum Wales, expressed her excitement upon seeing the find. “The consistent stride pattern suggests these are genuine dinosaur prints. It’s a significant discovery,” she remarked.
Tegan’s discovery was made along the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, an area already noted for its prehistoric significance. Claire shared her daughter’s excitement: “It’s hard to believe we were walking in the footsteps of a creature that roamed here millions of years ago.”
The footprints are believed to have been left by a Camelotia, an early member of the sauropodomorph family—dinosaurs known for their long necks, small heads, and massive bodies. Though less famous than species like the Brachiosaurus or Diplodocus, Camelotia was a substantial herbivore that walked on both two and four legs.
This discovery adds to a growing list of dinosaur finds in Wales, including the 2014 unearthing of a Dracoraptor skeleton on a nearby beach. As Cindy Howells explained, “Wales is now being recognized as a hotspot for dinosaur tracks. Every few years, we’re uncovering more evidence of the prehistoric creatures that once roamed this land.”
Tegan’s find has sparked renewed interest in the region’s prehistoric history, with experts now working to officially verify the footprints. It’s a reminder that even the most ordinary beach walk can lead to uncovering extraordinary traces of Earth’s distant past.