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!
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!
Likes
More Like Prehistoric Animals
Home Is Good
NG KiDS chats to Dinosaur Expert Jack Horner!
LEAVE A COMMENT
your avatar
THANK YOU
While you wait for it to be checked and approved why not to add a pre-selected message and a cool badge
WELL DONE,
YOUR COMMENT
HAS BEEN ADDED!
COMMENTS
Wow!
I have found a lot of sea snail fossils in my grandparents garden.
I found a sea creature fossil last year. My Mum said it was a marsupial.
Hiya
WOW
wow
WOW
This is amazing! I wish I could be lucky enough to find something like this. maybe next time
a four year old?!!! WOW
wow four year olds can do that!Cool As ice!!!!!!!!!!!!
cool!
Yay
It’s so cool
cool
wow
Wow
So cool
That was very cool
that is epic
Coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool
WOW
yes
wow that's cool
Astonishing
hi
nice
that is so cool
wow just wow
coool
that is cool
wow so cool
COOL !
I love your website. Jomama
pretty cool!
COOL!
Cool
nice
hola
Give it up for Lily . I am so jealous so once again give it up for Lily!!!
Wow
lucky u i wish i could find one too
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!
No but some day I will!
hi
COOL !
This is amazing! I wish I could be lucky enough to find something like this.
WOW
I foud a lot of stones but no one was a fossil
my friend brought a rock in to school and it had prehistoric bugs and insect fossils on it
I found old cart wheels in a field from the late 18 hundreds
I've never found a dino footprint but seeing a four year old find one? thats super cool
so cool!
Awesome!
um WOW!
I found a shark tooth
Super cool !
coooooooooooooooool
great eye lily wilder wow
This is so cool
Wow lily that is nice that you found a fossil of a dino footprint
Why is this happening!!
wow
cool
I love this but could u put more of the animal types please
Mind blown
Amazing work Lily! I am so surprised that a 4 year-old was able to find a fossil! Great Job!
Amazing
Noice
Cool
HI SISTERSS!!!
I have found a fossil before
WOW that's incredible it says its in a beach? How could a 4 year old find such a such a thing?
hi
wow that is crazy
I can't believe it.
this is amazing
yes
wow
wow
AWSEM
I can't believe it.
OMG
WOW!!!!!!
That is so cooooool!
EPIC!!!
crazy good
WOW! that is A-MA-ZING!
WOW
never found a fossil.
cool
Good job Lily!
Good job lily! Amazing discovery! COOL AND TOTALLY AWESOME!
That is super cool, good job lily! Nice discovery! Nice work! OMG, WOW, AMAZING, AWESOME!
WOW!
Wow that is unbelievable!
This is my cousin, Lily Wilder, and I’m very proud of her!
I actrally have a question? I thought dinosaurs have gone extinct billions of years ago, but however the footprint is 200 millions old
I LIKE DINOSAURS VERY MACHT
elsa
Omg
Wow what an amzing discovey must be rlly rare to find though right guys??
so cool
It is so cool what type of spices is it?
Wow thats amazing! :)
LOL
That is just so cool!
lol
wow cool !!
i wish that we could learn about would war 2
OH. MY. GOSH. So cool!
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
omg
Cool!
wowwwwwwwwwww
Cool :)
This it super cool since they were just having a walk on the beach i wish i was that lucky good job Lilly!
cool
Good job Lily! Im proud of you.
Nice discovery lily. ^_^
Wow, that is awesome I wish i could do that so I can be famous to just like lilly.
i found a fossilized shark or sting ray egg at the beach
omg so cool!!!
its so interesting can you add more like this
Nice work Lily!
wow! so cool! owo uwu
Well done Lilly so cool
Awesome
in what year did the fossil was found?
What year was it found? Well done Lily good spotting
Amazing
so cool
Wow good job lily
so cool
yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey
cool
in what year did the fossil was found?
Thats very interesting can u add more like this?
cool
Yes
Que color Lo encontro una niña de 4 años
Well done Lilly! It doesn’t matter what age you are you can follow your dreams!
It doesn’t matter what age you are you can discover anything!
wooowww
that is so cool where
Wowza!!
Wow, thats a young age to find a dinosaur fossil
I will Find million million year old fossils
that's so epic
Wow dinosaurs are so cool!!!
Ooooooh!
Cool fossil
h
woow
wooowowowooww cool
Bow-to-the-wow
wow well done lily
cool
WOWZA!!!!!!!!!!
Wow
Wow, so cool I wonder if I could find one.
no cooolll
Did they get money for their amazing find?
I WANT TO DO IT TO!
amazing
I want to do it too!
wird
well done
I found one on my holiday
Wow that’s amazing ❤️ It
reading they are so cool i can bally contan my self
what! a 4 year old found a dino footprint
Wow!
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
awesome... very interesting too
That is so cool
Awesome! I love dinos!
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
so cool
That’s amazing! LOL LOL LOL
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}
I’ve never found a fossil but, would love to! Great job Lily!!
So Awesome!
this is so cool i can't believe that a little girl found a dinosaur footprint and she is only 4. WELL DONE!!!
Cool
cool find
whow this kid is amazing.
Amazing
Amazing
Awsome!
LOL
How did a 4 year old do that
WOW. she found something amazing!
Wow that is sick
wow
Nope no fossils 4 me
well done great work Lilly
wow lily that is great work
cool
Wow
wow that's amazing!!!!! I've got about 100 fossils and most of them ! found
THAT IA SOOOOOOOOOO COOL
Astonishing!
who that is amazing so cool well done lily that is amazing
Wow
I did not know that
Once I found a fossil but then it randomly disappeared and I was devastated!
Wow
so cool
wicked
WHY DOES SHE GET TO SEE IT REALY WELL IVE ONLY found a preserved really tiny winsy bone of a t rex
wow nice
Wow that's amazing!
wow
amusing
Hi im clea
Cool, I like the fact. What Dino was it? Looks like a preaditor.
WOW, amazing find!
AMAZING!!
HOW COME THEY GET TO SEE DINO FOOTPRINTS AND WE ALL CANT GO NOT EVEN YOU OR ME!!SAD TIMES,SAD TIMES!!!!!!!!
HOW COME THEY GET TO SEE DINO FOOTPRINTS AND NO YOU OR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cool
epic
Thats so cool!
I love dinosaurs!
Ohhhhhhh
LOL
Amazing! I can't believe that this kid is only 4 years old!
That is so cool.
awesome
COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I like this website
WOW thats lucky for her
wow
hi joseph
I found some fossils
Great interesting book Loved reading it
Cool
Lucky
So lucky
Wow ,cool
OH MY GOD THAT HAS TO BE THE MOST AWESOME THING EVER
4years old and you found a dino footprint! COOL!!!
4 years old and you found a dino footprint! Cool!!!
WOW!
very very lucky
that would be so cool!!!
shes so lucky!!!
she has a very good eye
Lily's only four and she found a dinosaur footprint wow she's so lucky!!!
this is cool
I found a lot of dinosaur fossils lol
that is so cool
https://www.natgeokids.com/wp-content/themes/natgeokids/images/badges/4.png
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.
I wish I could find a prehistoric dinosaur footprint! That is one lucky toddler. Good job lily. :) so good I am surprised
hi
I found a fossil in alberta
YES!!!
that is amazing!
wow!!!
Very cool like the stuff on this website.
awesome!!!
cool
Cool
Awesome
Wow lily ! Great work
Cool
wow so cool how did you find it?
well i want to
Hope you find more
hi
i wish i found one
SO LUCKY!
Wonderful 7
COOL
Cool
That is one lucky toddler!
cool
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow amazing super I bet it helped the scientists
Wow, that's amazing. I wish I could find a prehistoric dinosaur footprint!
Amazing I heard about it on the news but this is a much closer look! It really is a roarsome discovery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cool
love this
Yay
increible nunca lo imagine
What an ace find! I think it’s super cool!
Well done
good job lilly
oooooo noice
ooo
ooo
cool
wow
Awesome :)
wowzers ! she's only four!
What an amazing find she's only four years old well done lilly
nice
Wow!!!
cool
So good I'm surprised!!!
YAY!
LOVE IT
COOL!!!!!
Wow
hi
wow
COOL!
I wish i found one
Cool
She is so lucky!
well done!
Wow! What an amazing discovery.
GREAT
That is amazing! I want to find one!
Well Done!
Love it well done!
Amazing find Lily.
Love it, Well Done Lily!!
nice!
CUSTOMIZE YOUR AVATAR