Ancient dinosaur footprint dating back 100 million years discovered near coastal town

A massive dinosaur footprint of the Iguanodon species, which dates back over 100 million years, has been found on a beach in England, news agency SWNS reported.

"The geology is perfect for it," he said in an on-camera interview. (See the video at the top of this article.)

Thompson had been walking for an hour or two when he came across a large purple object in the clay.

"It turned out it was an absolutely huge Iguanodon footprint," he said.

Iguanodon fossils are quite common all over the world, according to Thompson. Specimens have even been found in some U.S. states, including Utah and Colorado. 

Some of the most famous dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period include the three-horned Triceratops and the giant Patagotitan - but those won't be found on the Isle of Wight, he noted.

Instead, people are likely to find remnants of animals like the Iguanodon, which left the giant footprint that Thompson discovered last week.

The most dazzling aspect of the discovery lies in its size, according to Thompson.

"This footprint was absolutely massive - just under a meter [roughly 3 feet] long. So a pretty huge Iguanodon, a lot bigger than almost every other Iguanodon footprint found on that section of the coast," he said.

"We're not really going to know until we find fossils from those same layers [of rock]."

Digging into the cliff isn't allowed, but if those on the tour see any fossils that are washed out onto the beach, they're welcome to take them home, he said.

If the discovery does end up being recognized as a new variety of Iguanodon, this wouldn't be the first species Thompson has discovered along the Isle.

"Nobody really knows what it could be from, but probably from a small carnivorous mammal. So something eating small rodents and stuff like that. That's really exciting."

Thompson's Iguanodon find, while impressive, has likely disappeared due to the soft clay in which he found it.

"The soft nature of the rock it is preserved in means it probably won't last very long," he said. "So the likelihood is that it's probably not visible or accessible anymore, which is a shame."

He added, "That makes it quite special in that way, that it's just a fleeting glimpse of this amazing footprint probably never to be seen again. So, quite lucky I caught it in time."