Ardley Trackways facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
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| Area of Search | Oxfordshire |
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| Interest | Geological |
| Area | 63.6 hectares (157 acres) |
| Notification | 2010 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Ardley Trackways is a special place in Oxfordshire, England. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its amazing geology. An SSSI is an area that is protected by law because it has important wildlife, plants, or geology. This site covers about 63.6 hectares, which is like 157 football fields!
Contents
What are the Ardley Trackways?
Ardley Trackways is famous for its ancient dinosaur footprints. These footprints were left by dinosaurs around 165 million years ago. This was during a time called the Middle Jurassic period. The tracks show where dinosaurs walked along an old shoreline.
Dinosaur Footprints from Long Ago
The footprints at Ardley were made by two main types of dinosaurs:
- Sauropods: These were huge plant-eating dinosaurs. Think of long-necked giants like Brontosaurus! The tracks show a whole herd of them walking together.
- Theropods: These were meat-eating dinosaurs. They walked on two legs, like the famous T-Rex, though these were different types of theropods.
Why are these tracks so important?
These dinosaur trackways are very special for a few reasons:
- They are the only dinosaur trackways of this kind found in England.
- They are also one of the few Middle Jurassic trackway sites found anywhere in the world.
- By studying these tracks, scientists can learn a lot. They can understand how these dinosaurs walked and even how they behaved as a group.
Visiting the Ardley Trackways
It's important to know that Ardley Trackways is on private land. This means there is no public access to the site. It is protected to keep these valuable dinosaur footprints safe for future study.
