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4-year-old finds dino footprint in Wales!

Check out this roarsome discovery…

One of the best-preserved dinosaur footprints ever found in the UK has been discovered by a little girl on a Welsh beach

Last month, 4-year-old Lily Wilder was walking along a rocky beach in Wales with her family when an unusual-looking boulder caught her eye. When she and her Dad stopped to take a closer look, they quickly realised it wasn’t just any old rock – it had a fossilised dinosaur footprint on it!

Fossil Footprint Found

Excited by what they might have found, the Wilder family called National Museum Wales to tell them about the discovery. Fossil expert Cindy Howells came to investigate, and confirmed what Lily suspected: it was a prehistoric footprint!

The amazing fossil has been examined by palaeontologists (scientists who study dinosaurs), who estimate that the footprint is around 220 million years old!

It belongs to a group of fossils called Grallator footprints, left by a variety of small dinosaurs, including the American Coelophysis. Lily’s discovery measures just over 10cm long, which means that the dinosaur who left it probably stood between 75cm and 2m tall! That’s about as tall as an emu!

The dinosaur would have been a slender animal, which walked on its two hind feet and actively hunted other small animals and insects.

Lily made her discovery on Bendrick’s Bay near Barry in South Wales. This area is a Site of Scientific Interest, known for its fossil finds!

“This fossilised dinosaur footprint is one of the best-preserved examples from anywhere in the UK“, said Cindy Howells, who works with fossils at National Museum Wales. “It will really help palaeontologists to get a better idea about how early dinosaurs walked.”

Thanks to Lily and her family, this fossil has been extracted and moved to National Museum Cardiff. There, it can be enjoyed by others for generations, and could have a significant impact on scientific research. Amazing work, Lily!

If you live near a rocky beach, make sure you keep your eyes peeled – your discovery could be the next to hit the headlines! Check out Nat Geo Kids’ Quick Guide to Fossil Hunting for tips on what to look for!

Thanks to National Museum Wales and the Wilder family for the images used in this article!

Have you ever found a fossil? Let us know in the comments below!

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  • annabelle

    that is really cool well done lily and keep discovering new things

  • belles

    that is sooooooo cool and well done lily great discovery

  • DISCOVERYdude

    amazing

  • User badge
  • Big cat

    Love it four year old queen!!

  • nice

  • big cat.

    i want to see the fossil soo bad!!!

  • User badge
  • Jackie boy

    that so cool

  • NICE

    You can see something in the top right corner though, what is that?

  • User badge
  • giraffe

    she is going to be a paleaologist

  • BIG E

    super cool how did you know people did not carv it.

  • Nice yes yeah dinosaurs and birds.

  • cool

  • SP

    wow

  • User badge
  • arabella

    wow thats incredibel

  • lol kinda wish that was me

  • Cool !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • User badge
  • dinoboy

  • User badge
  • COOOOOOOOOOOL

  • User badge
  • QT

    Mind BLOWN

  • aj

    its amazing how you can be that young but so clever

  • UWAH

    Thats 4 year old is a genius.

  • User badge
  • MJ

    wow thats amaing!

  • User badge
  • Treesrawesome2510

    I love how this means that you don't have to be an expert at everything to find things and do things that lots of adults can.

  • 7MFMJF

    wowsa i love dinosaurs

  • User badge
  • Wow

  • Emerald-Rose

    wowza

  • a guy

    Coooool

  • User badge
  • a guy

    Oh wow!

  • User badge
  • adele

    well done lily that is quite a discovery

  • The yeeter

    wow that is so cool well done lily

  • wow

  • User badge
  • dada

    i love animals

  • User badge
  • millie

    really cool

  • Mouse

  • Monica

    Wow! That's amazing, I wish I would find something like this.

  • wow

  • User badge
  • Rilla

    that is Amazing and also very cool

  • User badge
  • User badge
  • Hannah

  • User badge
  • JJ

    That's awesome!☺️

  • P

  • Coco

    Can’t believe it’s a fact a four year old girl found a fossil I can’t believe it

  • amzing

  • best boy

    wow

  • User badge
  • Angela martins lima. Age:6

    me and my freind Alice found lots of dinosaur fosils

  • Alice saffi polyak tavares da silva

    I really want to find a fosil

  • User badge
  • cool! what a big find for a little girl

  • aphmau

    wow this is a amazind discovery for the little girl

  • Wow!

  • User badge
  • Cool

  • User badge
  • Activist Olivia

    Wow!

  • User badge
  • Gabby

    I have found a lot of sea snail fossils in my grandparents garden.

  • Gabby

    I found a sea creature fossil last year. My Mum said it was a marsupial.

  • ÓRLA

    Hiya

  • User badge
  • sania

    WOW

  • User badge
  • non

    wow

  • EveNugget

    WOW

  • User badge
  • Charlie

  • June

  • ATS

  • User badge
  • jessicap

    This is amazing! I wish I could be lucky enough to find something like this. maybe next time

  • User badge
  • sebastian

    a four year old?!!! WOW

  • User badge
  • sage

    wow four year olds can do that!Cool As ice!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • User badge
  • cool!

  • User badge
  • Yay

  • Hi

  • User badge
  • Mariam

    It’s so cool

  • 28qberky

    cool

  • landen

    wow

  • User badge
  • Wow

  • User badge
  • RoRo

  • Ellie

    So cool

  • Norim

    That was very cool

  • User badge
  • User badge
  • that is epic

  • Coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

  • Sunset_sunset

    WOW

  • TANAKORN

    yes

  • User badge
  • EM321671

    wow that's cool

  • Scoob

    Astonishing

  • User badge
  • sdaUgdh

    hi

  • User badge
  • miss missi miss

    nice

  • User badge
  • that is so cool

  • cyndrex

    wow just wow

  • coool

  • that is cool

  • santiago

    wow so cool

  • User badge
  • ROBERT

    COOL !

  • User badge
  • Yo. My name is secret.

    I love your website. Jomama

  • User badge
  • Jim

  • Hamish

    pretty cool!

  • Hamish

    COOL!

  • User badge
  • FNAF

    Cool

  • User badge
  • nice

  • User badge
  • hola

    hola

  • Coo coo coconut

    Give it up for Lily . I am so jealous so once again give it up for Lily!!!

  • User badge
  • snowleopard

    Wow

  • megan

  • User badge
  • lucky u i wish i could find one too

  • Evelyn

    one time when we were on Holliday on the isle of white we went fossil hunting, and our mum found a dinosaur rib bone! It was quite small, but it was still an amazing find!

  • Kaia

    No but some day I will!

  • User badge
  • Aisling

    hi

  • COOL !

  • User badge
  • Rosalyn

    This is amazing! I wish I could be lucky enough to find something like this.

  • WOW

  • User badge
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  • YAK

    I foud a lot of stones but no one was a fossil

  • User badge
  • Aoibhinn

    my friend brought a rock in to school and it had prehistoric bugs and insect fossils on it

  • User badge
  • sarah

  • Conor

    I found old cart wheels in a field from the late 18 hundreds

  • User badge
  • I've never found a dino footprint but seeing a four year old find one? thats super cool

  • User badge
  • Mila

    so cool!

  • User badge
  • Mila

    Awesome!

  • Forest

    um WOW!

  • I found a shark tooth

  • HYH Kokoro

    Super cool !

  • STR596

    coooooooooooooooool

  • User badge
  • alexa

    great eye lily wilder wow

  • Max

    This is so cool

  • User badge
  • #jackiebaseball25

    Wow lily that is nice that you found a fossil of a dino footprint

  • User badge
  • Rina

    Why is this happening!!

  • RaptorMax

    wow

  • User badge
  • sean-tanigaki

    cool

  • User badge
  • Lilith

    I love this but could u put more of the animal types please

  • filip and jasim

  • User badge
  • The Army Turtle Timy

    Mind blown

  • User badge
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  • Aroush

    Amazing work Lily! I am so surprised that a 4 year-old was able to find a fossil! Great Job!

  • Amazing

  • User badge
  • turtle

    Noice

  • User badge
  • H

  • User badge
  • Cool

  • James Charles

    HI SISTERSS!!!

  • haowenwang

    I have found a fossil before

  • User badge
  • Monty

    WOW that's incredible it says its in a beach? How could a 4 year old find such a such a thing?

  • User badge
  • yiqingl8

    hi

  • hailee

    wow that is crazy

  • I can't believe it.

  • Ella

    this is amazing

  • User badge
  • hamiz

    yes

  • User badge
  • quietbunny12345

  • User badge
  • Charlie damelio

    wow

  • User badge
  • idk

    wow

  • User badge
  • AWSEM

  • Christie

    I can't believe it.

  • User badge
  • littl, nas x

    OMG

  • User badge
  • Me

    WOW!!!!!!

  • That is so cooooool!

  • monkeys are the best.

    EPIC!!!

  • xavier

    crazy good

  • WOW! that is A-MA-ZING!

  • User badge
  • Clodagh

    WOW

  • User badge
  • Elizabeth

    never found a fossil.

  • User badge
  • ben banana

    cool

  • User badge
  • Kanishk

    Good job Lily!

  • Kanishk

    Good job lily! Amazing discovery! COOL AND TOTALLY AWESOME!

  • User badge
  • Kanishk

    That is super cool, good job lily! Nice discovery! Nice work! OMG, WOW, AMAZING, AWESOME!

  • Inara Gongora-Tunçer

    WOW!

  • class USA

    Wow that is unbelievable!

  • User badge
  • Evelyn S

    This is my cousin, Lily Wilder, and I’m very proud of her!

  • kk

  • User badge
  • Alex Shen

    I actrally have a question? I thought dinosaurs have gone extinct billions of years ago, but however the footprint is 200 millions old

  • DIONYSIS

    I LIKE DINOSAURS VERY MACHT

  • elsa

  • User badge
  • m

  • User badge
  • Lizard boy

  • TahliaP

    Omg

  • 00ThePunisher00

    Wow what an amzing discovey must be rlly rare to find though right guys??

  • amelia

    so cool

  • User badge
  • carrick

    It is so cool what type of spices is it?

  • User badge
  • Tiger Lover 10

    Wow thats amazing! :)

  • User badge
  • pb and j girl

    LOL

  • That is just so cool!

  • emir

    lol

  • User badge
  • wow cool !!

  • i wish that we could learn about would war 2

  • User badge
  • Cece123

    OH. MY. GOSH. So cool!

  • T

  • good

    Wow!

  • ^. .^

    Whoah!! It's amazing she actually found that! This just proves how much history is buried beneath us, that we are yet to discover! That's why history is one of my fave subjects!!

  • Cool

  • User badge
  • zayd7

    omg

  • Isaac Liang

    Cool!

  • turtle.diamond

    wowwwwwwwwwww

  • Ellie

    Cool :)

  • User badge
  • Ellie

    This it super cool since they were just having a walk on the beach i wish i was that lucky good job Lilly!

  • lol

    cool

  • Good job Lily! Im proud of you.

  • alex

    Nice discovery lily. ^_^

  • User badge
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  • bob the builder

    Wow, that is awesome I wish i could do that so I can be famous to just like lilly.

  • User badge
  • yarden gottlieb

    i found a fossilized shark or sting ray egg at the beach

  • User badge
  • Eva

    omg so cool!!!

  • User badge
  • its so interesting can you add more like this

  • Nice work Lily!

  • ^_^

    wow! so cool! owo uwu

  • User badge
  • Annie

    Well done Lilly so cool

  • User badge
  • Rosa

    Awesome

  • in what year did the fossil was found?

  • User badge
  • Dan

    What year was it found? Well done Lily good spotting

  • User badge
  • Dan

    Amazing

  • User badge
  • olivia

    so cool

  • User badge
  • 2021

    Wow good job lily

  • User badge
  • Hi

  • lovelyhuggles

    so cool

  • yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey

  • Vivan Patel

    cool

  • User badge
  • vicky

    in what year did the fossil was found?

  • Ayaat.zerin

    Thats very interesting can u add more like this?

  • User badge
  • maddy

    cool

  • User badge
  • what

    Yes

  • DANIELLEVIMUNOZPEREZ

    Que color Lo encontro una niña de 4 años

  • User badge
  • GeorgieGiraffe

    Well done Lilly! It doesn’t matter what age you are you can follow your dreams!

  • GeorgieGiraffe

    It doesn’t matter what age you are you can discover anything!

  • 55888

    wooowww

  • User badge
  • jonathan

    that is so cool where

  • User badge
  • Albert

    Wowza!!

  • Wow, thats a young age to find a dinosaur fossil

  • User badge
  • Syed Zunair Aakif

    I will Find million million year old fossils

  • User badge
  • KnownRat

    that's so epic

  • Wow dinosaurs are so cool!!!

  • User badge
  • John

    Ooooooh!

  • Jack foster

    Cool fossil

  • ,kjhbnkjhnblkj

    h

  • User badge
  • Bella

  • woow

  • wow

    wooowowowooww cool

  • Tara

    Bow-to-the-wow

  • creative girl

    wow well done lily

  • MysticLover27

    cool

  • Ava

    WOWZA!!!!!!!!!!

  • User badge
  • Alex

    Wow

  • Emylia

    Wow, so cool I wonder if I could find one.

  • lunar

    no cooolll

  • Anni

    Did they get money for their amazing find?

  • User badge
  • Leo

    I WANT TO DO IT TO!

  • User badge
  • Super sloth

    amazing

  • Shomamatsuura

    I want to do it too!

  • User badge
  • wird boy

    wird

  • well done

  • I found one on my holiday

  • User badge
  • Roar

  • Jessica t.

    Wow that’s amazing ❤️ It

  • User badge
  • zeke

    reading they are so cool i can bally contan my self

  • User badge
  • coolkid

    what! a 4 year old found a dino footprint

  • Kutekoala001

    Wow!

  • User badge
  • Kutekoala001

    Amazing! That is REALLY good well done Lily!

  • Ninja 10 reply IKR I can’t even manage to find jungkook banana milk and there she is finding dinosaurs

  • User badge
  • #Animal❤️

  • monkey

    awesome... very interesting too

  • User badge
  • #xoxNaturelove❤️Xox#

    That is so cool

  • Andrew

    Awesome! I love dinos!

  • zeller

    How come they get to find that and you and i are siting at home or school whith mask on amagin being 4 and finding a dinasoir foot print

  • zeller

    so cool

  • User badge
  • TKmonkey

    That’s amazing! LOL LOL LOL

  • MiaM

    Yes I found a fossil on an old train line it was of a shell my dad sent a photo of it to the museum of natural history {i keeped the fossil obs}

  • User badge
  • Izzy

    I’ve never found a fossil but, would love to! Great job Lily!!

  • chloe

  • User badge
  • VihanaP

    So Awesome!

  • kaya

    this is so cool i can't believe that a little girl found a dinosaur footprint and she is only 4. WELL DONE!!!

  • User badge
  • Cool

  • User badge
  • erin

    cool find

  • whow this kid is amazing.

  • Amazing

  • Fynn

    Amazing

  • Ellie

    Awsome!

  • Bubbles...1232

    LOL

  • User badge
  • Alicja

    How did a 4 year old do that

  • Hi

  • ItzSlaped

    WOW. she found something amazing!

  • Wow that is sick

  • wow

  • User badge
  • the boss

  • User badge
  • Tristan

    Nope no fossils 4 me

  • User badge
  • Mimmi

    well done great work Lilly

  • Mimmi

    wow lily that is great work

  • BAXTERDOG659

    cool

  • User badge
  • User badge
  • GABBY

  • Irzem

    Wow

  • nancy g

    wow that's amazing!!!!! I've got about 100 fossils and most of them ! found

  • richard

  • User badge
  • Pancack queen

    THAT IA SOOOOOOOOOO COOL

  • User badge
  • bingbong

    Astonishing!

  • orlah

  • User badge
  • abi-may

    who that is amazing so cool well done lily that is amazing

  • User badge
  • Anna

    Wow

  • User badge
  • ,,

  • User badge
  • Donnacha

    I did not know that

  • User badge
  • Donnacha

  • User badge
  • Rowena

    Once I found a fossil but then it randomly disappeared and I was devastated!

  • Lucy

  • Carisa

    Wow

  • User badge
  • hot dog

    so cool

  • User badge
  • hot dog

    wicked

  • User badge
  • hacking gamer

    WHY DOES SHE GET TO SEE IT REALY WELL IVE ONLY found a preserved really tiny winsy bone of a t rex

  • User badge
  • Larry

    wow nice

  • Hermione2009

    Wow that's amazing!

  • wow

    wow

  • Queenosei2020

    amusing

  • Clea

    Hi im clea

  • Mr what's my name

    Cool, I like the fact. What Dino was it? Looks like a preaditor.

  • LaurieBear

    WOW, amazing find!

  • Fleur

    AMAZING!!

  • User badge
  • ninja10

    HOW COME THEY GET TO SEE DINO FOOTPRINTS AND WE ALL CANT GO NOT EVEN YOU OR ME!!SAD TIMES,SAD TIMES!!!!!!!!

  • ninja10

    HOW COME THEY GET TO SEE DINO FOOTPRINTS AND NO YOU OR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • User badge
  • Druvi

    Cool

  • User badge
  • Jess

    epic

  • Thats so cool!

  • Bora_Yıldırım

  • lily

    I love dinosaurs!

  • User badge
  • Rad ruf

    Ohhhhhhh

  • Charlotte

    LOL

  • User badge
  • Amazing! I can't believe that this kid is only 4 years old!

  • Connor

    That is so cool.

  • hawk

    awesome

  • User badge
  • KG The Fun

    COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Bethany

    I like this website

  • User badge
  • WOW thats lucky for her

  • User badge
  • joe

    wow

  • User badge
  • lucca

    hi joseph

  • User badge
  • lucca

  • User badge
  • barney

    I found some fossils

  • Mr someone

    Great interesting book Loved reading it

  • Hh55331

    Cool

  • User badge
  • Lucky

  • So lucky

  • User badge
  • Wow ,cool

  • Aadya

    OH MY GOD THAT HAS TO BE THE MOST AWESOME THING EVER

  • ADY

    4years old and you found a dino footprint! COOL!!!

  • ADY

    4 years old and you found a dino footprint! Cool!!!

  • WOW!

  • Joseph

    very very lucky

  • User badge
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  • lyra

    that would be so cool!!!

  • User badge
  • Cailee

    shes so lucky!!!

  • she has a very good eye

  • User badge
  • Cailee

    Lily's only four and she found a dinosaur footprint wow she's so lucky!!!

  • User badge
  • noah

    this is cool

  • Yarhard6574

    I found a lot of dinosaur fossils lol

  • that is so cool

  • https://www.natgeokids.com/wp-content/themes/natgeokids/images/badges/4.png

  • aldrown27

  • User badge
  • ???????

    that is so nice she is one lucky kid in the world but how she is only 4 years old! man i wish i could find one.

  • Cats4425

    I wish I could find a prehistoric dinosaur footprint! That is one lucky toddler. Good job lily. :) so good I am surprised

  • User badge
  • jackson

    hi

  • User badge
  • User badge
  • I found a fossil in alberta

  • MANGO

    YES!!!

  • aldrown

    that is amazing!

  • me

    wow!!!

  • User badge
  • Very cool like the stuff on this website.

  • awesome!!!

  • User badge
  • cool

  • User badge
  • Cool

  • User badge
  • Miriam

    Awesome

  • Wow lily ! Great work

  • User badge
  • Lava Girl

    Cool

  • That must’ve been so cool , I wish I found one , she is like SO LUCKY !

  • lena

    wow so cool how did you find it?

  • Jaxon

    well i want to

  • Charlote

  • Hope you find more

  • User badge
  • eli

    hi

  • i wish i found one

  • Scott

    SO LUCKY!

  • User badge
  • Wonderful 7

  • Amelie

    COOL

  • User badge
  • Amelie

    Cool

  • User badge
  • ???

    That is one lucky toddler!

  • User badge
  • davina

    cool

  • Grayson

    Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • wow amazing super I bet it helped the scientists

  • Wow, that's amazing. I wish I could find a prehistoric dinosaur footprint!

  • Alice

    Amazing I heard about it on the news but this is a much closer look! It really is a roarsome discovery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • User badge
  • Abdullah

    Cool

  • User badge
  • orangutan girl

    love this

  • User badge
  • Josh

    Yay

  • increible nunca lo imagine

  • User badge
  • Frances

    What an ace find! I think it’s super cool!

  • Well done

  • User badge
  • tim

    good job lilly

  • qwq

    oooooo noice

  • qwq

    ooo

  • qwq

    ooo

  • MillyMopHead

    cool

  • User badge
  • MillyMopHead

    wow

  • Awesome :)

  • User badge
  • ayrton

    wowzers ! she's only four!

  • blabla

  • What an amazing find she's only four years old well done lilly

  • nice

  • Sophia

    Wow!!!

  • User badge
  • flora

    cool

  • Zifeng

    So good I'm surprised!!!

  • User badge
  • YAY!

  • User badge
  • LOVE IT

  • COOL!!!!!

  • User badge
  • Wow

    Wow

  • patrycja

    hi

  • User badge
  • coco

    wow

  • User badge
  • COOL!

  • I wish i found one

  • Cool

  • User badge
  • Benjie Lightoller

    She is so lucky!

  • User badge
  • well done!

  • Noice

  • User badge
  • Dinosaur Lover

    Wow! What an amazing discovery.

  • Unknown

    GREAT

  • Isla

    That is amazing! I want to find one!

  • KT

    Well Done!

  • User badge
  • Love it well done!

  • User badge
  • Dominic

  • Kane

    Amazing find Lily.

  • User badge
  • Logan

    Love it, Well Done Lily!!

  • sharkie boi

    nice!

  • User badge

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