A four-year-old girl stunned paleontologists after she found a perfectly-preserved dinosaur footprint that dates back 220 million years.
Lily Wilder made the discovery on January 23 while walking along a beach in South Wales with her father and dog. The family was on their way to the supermarket when Wilder saw the footprint imprinted on a rock.
Mrs Wilder, said: “Lily likes dinosaurs, especially her pterodactyl toy, and was so excited about her discovery.
“She spotted a footprint in the rocks and it looked amazing; we weren’t sure it it was real so I shared a photo on a Facebook group and had a huge response.”
Realising the significance of Lily’s discovery, Mrs Wilder contacted National Museum Wales, who advised her to take down the post to avoid a ‘stampede’ of fossil fans descending on the protected section of land.
The 110-mm trace fossil has now been legally removed, after permission was granted by the landowners and Natural Resources Wales, and is currently in safe-keeping.
The trace fossil, believed to be around 220 million years old, will be taken to National Museum Wales, in Cardiff, on a temporary or permanent basis.
Lily, who now plans to get more dinosaur toys, will forever be named as the footprint fossil’s finder and will be invited into the museum once coronavirus restrictions allow it to re-open.
Although this isn’t the first fossil discovered in Barry, it is so well-preserved that experts are in awe.
Palaeontology Curator of National Museum Wales, Cindy Howells, who arranged for the legal removal of the footprint, said: “This is a spectacular discovery.
“It’s the best-preserved trace fossil that’s ever been found in South Wales – normally they’re hollow or less well defined, but on this one you can see the claws and the points at the end.
“This discovery is unique and worth protecting – we will be studying the footprint and it will teach us a lot more about dinosaur feet and their bone and muscle structure.”
