Giant Jurassic-era dinosaur made the world's longest tracks around 150 million years ago

A giant Jurassic-era dinosaur made the world's longest dino tracks around 150 million years ago. Researchers uncovered that a sauropod – which were the largest dinosaur species to walk the Earth – had made a 110-step trackway that stretched over 155 meters, which is a world record for the species. The tracks were made during the Early Tithonian Age of the Jurassic Period by a dinosaur, that researchers estimate, weighed 35 tonnes and was 35m long.

The dinosaur tracks were first discovered in 2009 in the French village of Plagne. However, a series of excavations conducted at the site over the years revealed even more tracks sprawling across hundreds of yards.

According to researchers from the Laboratoire de Geologie de Lyon, when the sauropod made those tracks, Plagne was covered in a shallow, warm sea. Archeologists believe that small islands may have been scattered across the region, providing the giant dinosaurs with enough vegetation.

Excavations at the site conducted in 2015 revealed that a single track made by the sauropod's feet measured around 3 meters long. The footprints revealed five elliptical toe marks and handprints characterised by "five circular finger marks arranged in an arc". Researchers estimate that the sauropod travelled at a pace of 4 Kms per hour.

The dinosaur has been named Brontopodus plagenensis, which translates to "Thunderfoot from Plagne".

The Plagne site also contains 18 other dinosaur tracks spanning over 38 meters. These tracks were reportedly made by the Megalosauripus – a carnivore. The tracks have been covered up by researchers to protect them from natural elements. However, researchers believe that more dinosaur tracks may still exist that are yet to be found.

The latest findings from the research were published in the journal Geobios.