Dinosaurs: Fossil footprint found by four-year-old goes on show

Walking with dinosaurs? A discovery by a four-year-old may point the way to how the extinct reptiles kept their feet on the ground.

Young Lily from Barry, in the Vale of Glamorgan, found an impressive fossil footprint in January.

It was so good, the 200 million-year-old imprint is now on display at the National Museum Cardiff.

Lily's mother said they were "thrilled" the find was going on show.

The fossilised footprint was spotted at Bendricks Beach, near Barry.

Curators said it was "the best specimen ever found" on a beach.

The track is a type of footprint called Evazoum, and belongs to an unknown herbivorous dinosaur from the Upper Triassic period of earth's history.

The museum's palaeontology curator Cindy Howells said the fossil was "one of the best-preserved examples of its type from anywhere in the UK and will really aid palaeontologists to get a better idea about these early dinosaurs and how they walked".

Lily's mother Sally said: "We were thrilled to find out it really was a dinosaur footprint, and I am happy that it will be taken to the National Museum where we can be enjoyed and studied for generations."

Karl-James Langford, from Archaeology Cymru, was asked for his advice on the find by Lily's family.

"As only the fifth person to see it live, I identified the dinosaur footprint, as of international importance, and the best to be discovered in the United Kingdom for 20 years or more," he said.

"This was very real. It was a much finer print than any I had ever seen, in all my years looking at the rocks on the beach with school parties and adults."

Christina Byrne, Senior Environmental Assessment Officer for Natural Resources Wales said: "The dinosaur footprint is a spectacular find and we were pleased to grant permission and work in partnership to ensure its careful removal, so that it can be preserved as a scientific and educational resource for future generations to enjoy."