THE 'best preserved' fossil of a dinosaur footprint ever found in South Wales has been discovered by a four-year-old girl.
Lily Wilder was walking her dog with her dad, Richard Wilder, at Bendricks Beach in Barry when she spotted a dinosaur footprint in the rocks. They took photos and came back to the site with Lily's mum, Sally, and baby brother George.
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."
The dinosaur footprint/trace fossil discovered by Lily Wilder (Picture: Archaeology Cymru)
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.”
The dinosaur footprint/trace fossil discovered by Lily Wilder (Picture: Archaeology Cymru)
The footprint is believed to be that of a meat-eating theropod from the early days when dinosaurs were first starting to evolve, around 10 million years after dinosaurs first emerged on Earth.
“Imagine a little fierce hunter and scavenger, with lots of sharp teeth, running around the shore,” added Ms Howells.
This ‘absolutely amazing’ discovery has also been praised by archaeologist, Karl-James Langford MLitt, of Archaeology Cymru, who has videos of the fossil in situ, before it was removed, on his YouTube channel.
Mr Langford, who found a dinosaur footprint at Bendricks Beach eight years ago, said: “Lily needs all the credit for this absolutely amazing find; it will be something she remembers for the rest of her days.
“Once it’s in the museum she can go and see it and say ‘I found that'.
"It was so brilliant to see this internationally important find. I'm so pleased."
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