10-Year-Old Girl Discovers Dinosaur Footprints During Beach Walk with Mom While on Vacation
Paleontologists have suggested the prints may belong to a plant-eating dinosaur that roamed the area more than 200 million years ago
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Scenic view of rocks on beach against sky in the U.K.'s Vale of GlamorganWhat started as a casual walk on the beach for a 10-year-old girl suddenly turned into a paleontologist’s dream.
Tegan was recently visiting South Wales with her family when she accidentally stumbled upon five large footprints that experts believe belong to dinosaurs, according to the BBC and Herald.Wales.
The girl and her mother, Claire, who haven't been quoted by their last names, were reportedly looking for fossils at the Vale of Glamorgan when Tegan made the discovery.
"We found these were big holes that looked like dinosaur footprints,” Tegan recalled, per the BBC, “so mum took some pictures, emailed the museum and it was from a long-necked dinosaur.”
Related: 3 Boys Discover Rare T. Rex Fossil While on a Family Hike: 'That's a Dinosaur'
Experts believe the prints are real. “We’re fairly certain they are genuine dinosaur prints,” said Cindy Howells, paleontology curator for the National Museum Wales, on the latest episode of the BBC show The Dinohunters.
The dinosaur appears to be part of the sauropodomorpha family, according to Howells.
Paleontologists have suggested the prints may belong, more specifically, to a Camelotia, a plant-eating dinosaur that roamed the area more than 200 million years ago.
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Tegan and Claire previously lived near where the prints were found, according to the Herald.Wales.
The 10-year-old said it was “cool and exciting” to find the footprints, according to the BBC. She and her mother shared photos of their discovery with the National Museum Wales.
Claire said she is thrilled that Tegan got to experience something so unique. “You can spend a lifetime looking for dinosaur treasures so for it to happen for Tegan at this age is great,” she explained.
Each of the footprints found by the 10-year-old were about 75 centimeters (or 29.5 inches) apart, according to the BBC and Herald.Wales.
"If they were random holes, we'd be wary,” Howells said, the BBC reported, “but because we have a left foot, a right foot and then a left and another right... there's a consistent distance between them.”
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