The University of Cambridge was in the news this week when dinosaur tracks, said to be amongst the best preserved and most extensive in the world, were found in Ardley Quarry, near Oxford, by researchers from Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences. Most importantly, one set of prints clearly shows the dinosaur breaking from a walk into a run. The Cambridge team believe they are the first proof of medium-sized or large theropods running. The results were published in the journal Nature and have attracted massive international media attention. The research team, led by Dr Julia Day, have been unable to confirm the dinosaur's species from the prints, but believe it to be a large theropod, possibly a Megalosaurus, a relative of Tyrannosaurus rex. "We knew that small theropods could run fast, but it wasn't clear if the same was true for large theropods," said Dr Day in an interview with the Daily Telegraph this week. "The evidence here shows that these animals weren't lumbering beasts. They were much more agile than some people have imagined. Although we don't know if they could sustain a run, they could clearly run for short bursts." A Tyrannosaurus rex with arthritis - dinosaur fossils reveal details of dinosaur diseases.
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