After discovering a "internationally important" dinosaur footprint while shopping at the supermarket, a four-year-old child has astounded paleontologists.
Lilly Wilder, 4, found this perfect 215-million-year-old dinosaur footprint in Barry. She's pictured with her father Richard and mum Sally
When Lily Wilder and her father Richard were strolling along the coastline between Barry and Sully, Lily saw what archaeologists with Archaeology Cymru are describing as "the finest impression of a 215 million-year-old dinosaur print found in Britain in a decade."
Her family initially believed the flawless print was the work of an artist, but it was actually made by a little bipedal dinosaur. Although it is impossible to determine what kind of dinosaur left it, experts refer to this type of print as a Grallator.
The dinosaur that left the print, which is slightly over 10 cm long, was probably approximately 75 cm tall and 2.5 m long. It would have been a small, two-footed animal that avidly pursued other small creatures and insects.
"We weren't even certain if it was true. However, I was aware that dinosaur footprints had previously been discovered along that stretch of coast, so I just thought I'd ask some folks," said Lily's mother, Sally Wilder.
Lily Wilder with her mum Sally and dad Richard and the dinosaur footprint she found on Bendricks Bay Barry
"I discovered this Facebook page for identifying fossils, and when I posted it there, everyone started to go nuts. Finding out that it's exactly what they believed it was has been quite exciting."
The Bendricks, a section of shoreline between Barry and Sully that is considered to be significant in terms of paleontology, is where the print was discovered in January 2021. The Wilder family was got in touch with by Karl-James Langford of Archeology Cymru and the National Museum in Cardiff.
It's a great piece because it's so flawless and spotless. from Archeology Cyrmu, Karl-James Langford.
"I'd say it has global significance, which is why the museum immediately acquired it. It is crucial in this way. It is, in my opinion, the best dinosaur footprint discovered in the UK in the previous ten years."
After discovering the footprint, Lily's interest in dinosaurs piqued, and her family is assisting her in making the most of the opportunity.
The footprint as it was found by Lilly Wilder, 4
What's interesting is that, if her name is included as the finder in the museum, it's possible that one day, for years and years and generations to come, her grandkids may visit that in the museum.
The discovery was reported to Cindy Howells, curator of palaeontology at the National Museum of Wales, who called it the best example ever discovered on this beach.
The museum claimed that in order to lawfully remove it, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had to be contacted.
"This 220 million-year-old fossilized dinosaur footprint is one of the best-preserved specimens found anywhere in the UK", according to Ms. Howells, "and it will help palaeontologists understand how these early dinosaurs walked. It was Lily and her family that discovered it, and they are largely responsible for the museum's acquisition of it."
